Chronology Conundrum
by Fateless Wanderer
Summary: DT/MMPR - After a strange mutation is released in Reefside, the five Dino Thunder Ranges find themselves thrown back into the past, circa 1995 Angel Grove. Somehow, they have to figure out how to make it back to their present without destroying it or themselves. And if they succeed, they must navigate the consequences of their actions in the past, while still protecting Reefside.
1. Chapter 1

It's been a long time since I've written anything, but I'll let the summary speak for itself. Reviews appreciated. I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: All characters, objects, locations, etc, are property of the Power Ranger franchise, and not me. However, this story, is mine.

* * *

It was 4:00 pm on a Friday afternoon, in early spring. The weather was absolutely perfect. The sun was shining, the temperatures were great for light t-shirts and shorts. One of the benefits of California living. On a day like that, most of Reefside's younger residents would happily have found themselves outside. And therefore, Cyberspace was a far cry from as crowded as it had been on most afternoons.

There were a few patrons. A few more notable than others. One was a high school senior. The kid with dark brown skin and short cut black hair was in his usual spot at the computers blasting away at some video game or other. He wore a blue t-shirt and a pair of black cargo shorts. Every so often he'd shout at the game, usually something unintelligible.

"Shouldn't you be doing homework?" The red headed woman behind the counter with a cleaning cloth and glass called out to him. After all, he'd been at it since he showed up around 3:15 with two other teenagers. She was dressed in jeans and a brown and grey blouse. Somewhat more respectable for the adult owner of a local teenage hotspot.

"Mostly caught up, Haley" the teenager called back, sticking his tongue out slightly as his battled some particularly difficult enemy in his game. Haley just shook her head and turned her attention toward a girl with dark blonde hair seated at one of the tables, her books and notes open all around her. The girl had on a pair of black jeans. Her grey shirt had bright yellow sleeves.

"Glad he is," the teen muttered in response, frowning at the page of notes she was on. Her pen stopped moving as she studied the paper.

Haley gave the girl a sympathetic smile. "Aww… that bad, huh Kira?" The girl just groaned in response, causing Haley to laugh, as a few more teenagers walked into the café, scattering themselves across the booths. "Trent?" Haley called into the back room behind the counter. "Customers!"

"Coming" was the reply as a teenager with white skin and straight, mussed up, black hair emerged from the kitchen. He wore a white button down, short sleeve shirt open over a light grey t-shirt and a pair of khaki shorts. Pad in hand, pen behind his ear, he shot Kira a hello smile, before approaching the latest customers.

"Where's Connor?" Haley asked Kira, stepping out from behind the counter and pulling up a chair in across from her.

"No idea," the girl replied, putting her pencil down, yawning and stretching her muscles. The teen from the video games groaned as the screen turned red with explosions. He stood up, turned off the PC, and walked over to the two women seated towards the front of the café, placing himself in a chair between the two.

"How about you Ethan," Haley asked. "Have you seen Connor around?"

Ethan shook his head, and stole a chip from the bowl on the table. Kira glared at him for a moment, but then folded her arms on the table and lay her head down against them, muttering about being too tired to care.

"Sleeping well, lately?" Ethan asked her. Without lifting her head, Kira shook it in silent answer. "Why?" Ethan laughed. Kira lifted her head this time to glare icicles at him. He damn well knew why. "Seriously? You know," Ethan started, then lowered his voice to a mere whisper, "Mesogog never attacks the same way twice." He allowed his voice to return to normal speaking volume. "Sleep should be a relatively safe endeavor. You should try it some time."

"Leave her be, Ethan," Trent told him, noticing Kira jerk wide awake at the mention of the name Mesogog. "I'm surprised you've been able to sleep after what happened last week." He finished taking the drink orders to the tables of teenagers, and left them be for a while. If they wanted food, they'd flag him down. He slipped into the last seat at the table, across from Ethan, and wrapped his arm around Kira, who was still glaring at Ethan.

"It's not just that," she grumbled, although she would admit, it was mostly the fact that the teenagers' enemy, Mesogog, had just recently sent monsters of mass destruction to invade the dreams of her, and her fellow teammates. Even in their sleep, it appeared there would be no rest for the world's current team of Power Rangers. "With all the… activity," Kira stated, after searching for just the right word, "I'm way behind on my school work. Even in Dr. O's class."

"He'd understand," Haley told the girl, reaching out and patting her on the top of the hand.

"I'd understand what?" A new voice joined the conversation. A man, roughly the same age as Haley, entered Cyberspace. Had he not been the woman's best friend, and frequented the location often, he definitely would have appeared out of place. Clad in dark grey dress pants and a black sweater, he peered at the group at the table from behind his glasses, a messenger style black leather briefcase slung over his shoulder. He pulled up a chair, squeezing in between Haley and Trent. He pulled the briefcase off his shoulder and ran his hand through his spiked short brown hair.

"Kira's behind on her homework," Haley told him, "including the work you assigned." The teen in question just turned slightly red and dropped her gaze to the table.

Dr. Thomas Oliver, or Dr. O, as the kids referred to him, sighed. "How about you two?" he asked the male teens at the table. "You behind on work?" Both boys shook their heads. Trent muttered something about his dad would kill him if he fell behind on school work. "Sorry Kira, if the boys can keep up, so can you."

"Tommy!" Haley scolded as she left the table to get back to work behind the counter, but her friend just shook his head.

"I learned to manage, so can they." Kira nodded her acceptance and turned her attention back to the work on her table, while Trent went to check on his customers. "By the way, where's Connor? If Kira's behind, you know he is."

"No idea," Ethan replied. "He mentioned something about the weather, and soccer, after school, and the next thing I know, he's gone."

"Ah," Tommy replied. He left his briefcase at the table with Ethan and Kira, and wandered over to the counter where Haley was. "You think I'm too hard on them?" he asked in a low voice so the kids couldn't hear him. Haley peered around him to where Ethan had begun to help Kira with her work. She turned back to Tommy with a small smile on her face.

"No," she said, with a sigh. "But you could be easier on them. After all, you do know what it's like to be in their shoes, you know with all those extracurricular activities. Maybe you could cut them a little bit of a break."

Tommy shook his head. "Part of the job." Haley wasn't sure if he was referring to his job as their high school science teacher, their mentor, or their 'job'. "They've got to learn how to balance," Tommy continued. "If I did it, they can too."

"From what heard," Haley started, "you weren't always very successful at it. Tommy glared at her for a moment and then nodded.

"Who told you that?"

"Billy," she replied, "Last time he contacted. You were busy," she emphasized the word 'busy' in her statement. "So we chatted for a while. Discussed new technologies, and a certain perpetual uniform wearer."

"Shut it," Tommy told her. Spinning round on the bar stool he'd seated himself on. He leaned back on the counter on his elbows, and observed the teenagers. Both Trent and Ethan were helping Kira at that point, although Trent was also making sure he waited on Haley's customers, as that was what she was paying him to do. "See," he nodded towards them, "they're learning teamwork." Haley just hit him with the cloth she was using to clean the counter, and went back to her work.

Meanwhile, the teens were chatting while Kira was finishing up her work. "See, it wasn't so bad," Ethan told her, as she finished the last calculus problem she'd been having trouble with. With his and Trent's help, she was caught up enough that she was able to take a break. Trent brought the group over some new fruit punch Haley was trying out, and slipped back into his seat opposite Ethan.

"I still think Dr. O could have gone a bit easier on us," Kira told him, leaning back in her chair, drink in hand. She took a long draw off the straw. "This is pretty good," she muttered. Trent nodded in agreement, but she wasn't sure which statement he was agreeing with. "You would think, having been through it himself. I mean it's not like we haven't got extra stuff we need to do."

"True," Trent agreed with her. "And didn't he say, back then he had a choice. None of this whole, accept it or die, stuff we've got to deal with."

"I still say it's not that bad," Ethan put in. Kira and Trent shot him looks. "What? It isn't." His friends just shook their heads.

"Whatever," Kira told him, taking a last sip off her punch, and closing up her books. She stood and stretched again. "I'm going to head home and see if I can finish some of this work up, since our weekend has been commandeered." She shot a glare at Tommy who was back in conversation with Haley behind the counter. "You two leaving?"

Both of her friends shook their heads. Trent mentioned that he was on the clock until 7, while Ethan said something about wanting to try and beat the game he'd been playing earlier. Kira nodded while shoving her books into her book bag, and told them goodbye. Once she was sure she'd gathered all her things, she headed towards the door "See ya, Haley, Dr. O," she called, opening the door. As soon as she was on the pavement she collided with the chest of another teen, he grabbed her shoulders, steadying her.

"Watch where you're going," he laughed, his loose brown hair, hanging in his eyes a little. The teen was wearing a red tank top and a pair of silver and red gym shorts. His black gym shoes were covered in grass and mud. Something that his knees, clothing, and even his face had in common.

Kira didn't even bother to reply to his statement. "Where've you been?" she asked him instead. The youth opened his mouth to respond, but Kira held up her hand to stop him and shook her head. "On second thought, I don't want to know. See you tomorrow," she told him, stepping around him and continuing on her way home.

For his part, the teen frowned, and watched her go, before entering Cyberspace, and spotting Ethan and Trent having a conversation at a table. He walked up to them, pulling out the chair Kira had just vacated, turning it around backwards and sitting down. "What's bugging Kira?" he asked them.

"Where have you been?" Trent replied, answering question with question.

"She's bogged down with homework," Ethan told his friend. "But seriously where've been?"

"Soccer," the teen replied simply. "And it was glorious. I'm in love!"

"Love?" both his friends asked him.

"With the ball right?" Trent added on his own. Connor glared at him.

"Nope, I met a girl." He paused for a moment, thinking back. "No, not a girl. A woman."

"You're in love with an older woman?" Ethan asked his best friend.

"She's not that much older. Couldn't have been more than twenty, twenty-one," Connor replied. "She was beautiful. And so nice. And smart, and funny, and…" Connor's eyes had glazed over as he thought back on his afternoon meeting. "I'm giving her a tour of Reefside tomorrow morning."

"Connor, we have training tomorrow at eight," Trent told him, jerking his head toward Tommy at the counter with Haley. Connor's grin faltered and he groaned.

"Aww man. I totally forgot about that."

"And if Kira's behind on her work, there's a sure bet you are," Ethan added in. Connor just shrugged in response to his statement.

"Think Dr. O will let me out of training," Connor asked.

"No" was the reply he received, as the man in question rejoined the teens at the table.

"Come on Dr. O! Don't you remember what it was like to be young?"

"I'm only twenty seven Connor," Tommy replied.

"Exactly!" Connor exclaimed. Trent and Ethan shot each other looks that said their teammate was going to die. Tommy just looked at the teenager as if he were trying to comprehend what was going on inside his brain. "Please Dr. O? I can't exactly call and say my science teacher is training me in the art of kung fu."

"You could say you have other plans," Tommy reminded him.

"Dr. O, if you'd seen her you'd understand. She's got beautiful long brown hair and these deep brown eyes that you could just stare into all day. And her laugh… Oh her laugh. She laughed when I accidently hit her with the soccer ball. Dr. O! Do you know how rare it is for a girl not to want to kill me if I hit them with a soccer ball."

"Connor," Tommy began, trying to interrupt the teen.

"Please? Just for a little? I don't want to bail on her completely."

"Ugh… fine. But you're staying later than the others. And I want you there no later than noon."

"But that only gives me an hour," Connor pouted.

"You could always come at eight like the others," Tommy told him, picking up his briefcase.

"Noon's fine," the teenager put in hurriedly. He didn't want to push his luck. Tommy nodded to the teens and called out a goodbye to Haley before leaving the cyber café.

"Dude, Kira's going to be pissed," Ethan hissed. "Connor doesn't have to be at training till noon." Trent just nodded his agreement as he and Ethan went back to their respective activities.

* * *

Even at eleven thirty in the morning on Saturday, Kira was still fuming. Trent and Ethan could practically see the waves of steam coming off her, despite it being three and a half hours since they'd broken the news that Tommy had allowed Connor the morning off to show some woman around Reefside.

"Kira, you're not breathing right," Tommy called to the only girl on the team as they practiced the Chinte kata he'd been teaching them all morning. His only response was a growl. Tommy shook his head. "Alright, break time. We'll resume when Connor gets here." He'd barely finished his sentence before the girl had disappeared.

"Probably shouldn't have brought up Connor not being here, Dr. O," Ethan told him, patting the downcast looking man on the shoulder. Trent snickered slightly. "I think she's plotting both your deaths."

"What did I do?" Tommy asked, following Trent and Ethan into the house. They'd been practicing in the back yard. Kira was nowhere in sight, so Tommy figured it was safe to sit on his own living room sofa. Ethan was already sitting, having hopped over the back of the sofa, instead of walking the long way around. Trent joined them, after pulling three water bottles out of the fridge. He tossed one to Tommy, and handed another to Ethan before twisting the top off his own and chugging half the bottle.

"Really?" Ethan replied to their teacher. "Between schoolwork, training sessions, and kicking mutant dinosaur ass," Ethan was cut off by a disapproving look from Tommy at his use of the word ass, which the teen decided to ignore, "we rarely have any time for ourselves."

"Forgive me for trying to prevent you from getting yourselves killed," Tommy shot at him, not unkindly, but he didn't appreciate the way it sounded like he was running a military camp.

"We know that Dr. O," Trent told him. "But didn't you just want to relax as a kid?" Tommy shook his head, not in disagreement, but because he didn't quite understand what Trent was saying. "She's tired. We all are. Mesogog attacked your dreams," Trent stated, stressing the last word. "He's even invading our sleep now. We need a break."

Tommy played with the water bottle in his hands, tossing it back and forth as he listened and thought about Trent's words. "I just want you all to be ready. I… Mesogog isn't going to take a break."

"Dr. O, what did you do when you weren't in school or out fighting evil?" Ethan asked him. Tommy looked his dead in the eyes.

"Worked out," he stated flatly. Ethan threw his hands up in the air, and flung himself backwards on the couch. Apparently their teacher was hopeless. Tommy just smiled, knowing the teenager didn't believe him. "But, I do get what you're saying. Alright, we're done for the day," he told them, pausing. "Make that the whole weekend. You earned it."

"Really" Trent asked. "You're not going to call us back and say you changed your mind."

"Nope. I promise. You can have the rest of the weekend off." The two teenagers grinned like mad.

"I'll go call Kir…" Trent began, as he pulled out his cell phone. He was cut off as a series of tones sounded from each of the wrists of the three men in the room. Ethan groaned and threw himself back against the couch again, while Tommy, who'd been in the process of walking into the kitchen to fix himself a snack came back to stand behind Trent. "So much for a break," Trent muttered, knowing full well, what those tones meant. Tommy nodded to him to answer. Trent brought his wrist up to his mouth, pressed a button and spoke into the device that resembled a bracelet "Go ahead." Tommy and Ethan moved a bit closer so that they could hear.

"Trent," Connor's voice came through. They could hear commotion behind him. "So glad you answered quickly. Had to give my date the slip."

"Get to the point," Ethan hissed.

"Sorry. Tyrranodrones EVERYWHERE!" he stressed.

"Where are you?" Tommy asked him, knowing the boy would know he meant general vicinity and not his current hiding spot.

"Middle of the park. They just appeared and started attacking. No warning. No mutant with them either."

"We're on our way," Trent told him, cutting the connection.

"Alright gentlemen, time to go to work," Tommy told them. Both teens nodded, standing up beside him.

Ethan gave his wrist a sharp twist, allowing his morpher to appear. He flipped up the dino plate on the morpher and pressed the morph button shouting "Dino Thunder, Power Up!" At the same time, Tommy and Trent both gave their wrists the same sharp twist. As Ethan spoke, Tommy took the key to his morpher, inserted into the piece on his wrist and gave it a turn.

At the same time, Trent called out "White Ranger, Dino Power!" Pulling his morpher close to his chest and pressing the morph button. Seconds later, the Blue, Black, and White rangers stood in their place. "You two go on ahead, I'll contact Kira," Trent told them.

"Right," both Ethan and Tommy stated, giving him a nod. They raced out into the back yard, and Trent heard the sound of the Blue Raptor Cycle, and Black Dino ATV start up and race away.

Trent pressed the button on his morpher that would contact Kira and spoke her name.

"I know already," she replied. "Heard everything, on my way."

"Gottcha, just making sure," Trent told her, smirking beneath his helmet. "Meet you there."

* * *

Connor in the meantime was cursing his luck. The morning had not gone according to plan. He'd met up with the woman from the day before at about 10:30 in the morning outside of Cyberspace, and had spent nearly the next hour showing her around the area, hoping to secure a more romantic type date for another day. Unfortunately, for him, the woman was just being nice when she took him up on his offer to show him around, and thought he was just a sweet high schooler. They were walking through the park as the time when Connor needed to leave was approaching when they'd heard shouting, and spotted the Tyrranodrones. Connor made some weak excuse and abandoned the girl, cursing as he did.

He was still cursing when he heard the sounds of the raptor cycles and ATVs pulling up somewhere behind him, as he delivered a roundhouse kick to the head of one of the mutant creatures. "Took you long enough," he shouted.

Ethan shook his head and Trent snickered.

"It's not my fault your date got interrupted," Tommy told him.

"Wasn't a date," Connor stated, his teammates joining the fight. "She said she's too old for me," he added, his voice sounding dejected.

"Ouch, harsh," Ethan told him. Connor shrugged.

"Where's Kira?"

"On her way," Trent replied. "Head's up," he added. "We've got company." Most of the Tyrranodrones were defeated, but it was then that a black armored cyborg showed up. "What do you want Zeltrax?"

"None of your business White Ranger," the half robot man called back.

"Anything you're involved in is our business," Connor shouted. The cyborg snickered.

"Very well," he stated, stepping to the side and revealing some demented looking dinosaur creature. The creature had the head of a raptor, but thick legs like a brontosaurus. In the middle of its chest was a clock. "I think it's time you all were extinct. Chronosaurus, they're all yours." Zeltrax pressed a button, and suddenly an invisiportal appeared. One moment he was there, the next he was gone.

"You've got to be kidding," Ethan stated, studying the creature, which was by far one of the weirdest looking things he'd ever seen. "Extinct? Someone needs to get Zeltrax some new lines."

"You're telling me," Trent added.

"The bad guys never have the best come backs," Tommy told them, but he and the three other rangers present shifted into fighting stance. "Ready?"

"Ready," the three replied, and the four of them charged the creature.

"I don't think so rangers. Back we go," Chronosaurus laughed. One moment the rangers were running forward, and the next thing they knew, they were back where they'd been standing, and Zeltrax was jumping into the invisiportal.

"What just happened?" Trent asked.

"I have no idea," Tommy replied.

"Come and get me rangers," the mutant taunted, hoping back and forth from foot to foot, looking like it was having the time of its.

"Grrr…." Connor growled, irritated. The four rangers charged again.

"Uh uh uh," Chronosaurus stated, shaking his hand at them like you would a naughty child. Once again, the rangers' forward motion halted, and they ended up right back where they started, with Zeltrax jumping through the portal. This time, Ethan noticed the hands on the clock on his chest had slowed to a halt, but they'd been spinning backwards. The mutant dinosaur was taunting them again.

"I get it," Ethan stated. "He's reversing time."

"What?" A new voice asked, as a yellow clad ranger joined up. "And what the heck is that thing."

"YAY, the yellow ranger has joined the fun," the 'thing' cheered. "Come on rangers, I'm getting bored."

"Don't," Ethan shouted, but his teammates didn't hear him, charging forward again, this time Kira was in the lead. Ethan just sighed and crouched down, keeping his eyes on Chronosaurus' chest. Just as he thought, right before the rangers reached him, the hands on the clock began to spin backwards, and his teammates ended up right beside him. For his part, Ethan was standing, having never used his own muscles to return from a crouched position.

"What the?" Kira stated.

"I told you, he's reversing time," Ethan stated again. Trent, Tommy, Connor, and Kira gave him questioning looks from behind their visors. Ethan sighed. "The clock," he stated, pointing at the creature he'd begun demolishing the playground equipment. "Everytime we rush him, the hands on the clock spin backwards, always stopping at the same point."

"So he's rewinding time?" Tommy asked. "As in sending us backwards."

"Not much, but enough that we can't get near him, yeah," Ethan confirmed.

"So a close range attack is not going to work." Connor cast his gaze over the thing. "What if we destroy the clock?"

"It's a theory," Ethan said, shrugging. "We've got to stop him somehow."

"Alright, we'll assemble the Z-Rex blaster," Connor stated. His teammates nodded, and proceeded to call forth their weapons. Blaster assembled, Connor glared toward Chronosaurus. "Hey no brains," Connor shouted, getting the creature's attention. It spun away from the trash can it had been mutilating, and turned its attention back onto the rangers.

"Tisk tisk, rangers. I think someone needs a time out," Chronosaurus stated. The hands on the clock began to spin backwards at the same time that the rangers fired a blast of energy from the Z-Rex blaster. The blast struck Chronosaurus square in the middle of its chest clock. The result was a brilliant flash of light and explosion of sound that drowned out all vision and hearing of the five rangers who were thrust backwards. Connor, Ethan, and Trent were thrown into the air to the right, while Tommy and Kira were propelled to the left.

Slowly the light shrunk back into a small focal point where Chronosaurus had been standing. As it did, sound slowly started to return to the area. However, after the explosion, the bodies of Chronosaurus and the five dino thunder rangers were missing.


	2. Chapter 2

Chirping birds were the first sounds to reach the ears of the teenager lying flat on his back in the middle of a small forest clearing. Bits of sunlight filtered down through the branches and leaves that formed the canopy above him. The teenager groaned, and sat up, leaning back on one hand, while the other rubbed against his left temple, both of his legs splayed out in front of him. "Did anyone get the name of that truck," he muttered.

"No," was the response. The first teenager cracked his eyes open slowly. Adjusting to the light, the second teenager who'd spoken came into focus. He studied the other boy's face, arms and legs. The skin exposed by his blue t-shirt and black gym shorts showed slight signs of bruising. "Connor, you look like hell," the second teen told the first. He was laying flat on his back, head turned toward the teenager clad in a red and white checkered button down, and cargo shorts.

"Speak for yourself," was the reply, as Connor tried to push himself to his feet. It took him longer than he expected, each of his muscles crying out in pain. He reached down to his teammate, offering to help him to his feet.

"Connor, Ethan, shut up," mumbled a third prone figure. The teen in the grey t-shirt, and silver and white gym shorts was face down in the grass, having apparently landed on his stomach. Trent slowly pushed himself up onto his knees, slowly opening his eyes to look around. "Where are Kira and Dr. O?"

"No idea," Connor told him, after Ethan was vertical again. He was scanning the area, but aside from the three of them, it was deserted. "Not completely sure where we are either," he added for good measure.

"That must have been some blast," Ethan chimed in, trying to stretch out his aching muscles. "It knocked us clear into the woods, and out of morph." Trent and Connor nodded agreement, still looking around and trying to get their bearings.

"How long do you think we were out?" Trent asked. Ethan looked at his watch. The digital screen was cracked and nothing showed on the display. He looked up at the sky, but with all the trees in the way, he couldn't get a good look at the sun's position. He looked back at his teammate who was now in a sitting position, knees pulled up towards his chest, with his feet flat on the floor. He was twisting his torso back and forth. Ethan shrugged in response, and was about to say something else when a series of tones radiated from Connor's wrist.

"Dr. O?" Connor asked, pulling the morpher to his mouth. Trent finally stood up as he and Ethan got closer to their leader to hear.

"Nope," came the voice on the other end. "You guys alright?"

"Haley," Connor sighed, nodding. "We're alive."

"Barely," Ethan interjected, and Trent laughed slightly.

"Who's we and where are you guys?" Haley asked via the communicator, though her voice was definitely not coming through as clearly as it should have been. Static had started to overtake the link.

"Ethan and Trent are with me. As for where we are, not sure," Connor told her. "That mutant still attacking the park?"

"No," Haley replied. Connor nodded. Haley usually headed to their command post in Tommy's basement whenever she got the signal that the team had morphed, whether they called her or not. She must have been watching their battle on the video feed. "He disappeared with you all in that blast. Connor, I think I'm losing you. Bad connection," she told him.

"Haley?" Connor spoke into the communicator. The static on her last response had almost fully drowned out her words, but the teens had at least been able to get the gist of what she'd said. There was no response this time. "Haley you there?" Static was the only sound that reached them.

"Well, at least we know Chronosaurus isn't rampaging around Reefside," Ethan told them. His teammates nodded.

"Come on," Trent told them. "Let's head back to the command post. Dr. O and Kira will go there." He began to walk toward what he hoped was the playground and back to civilization, Connor and Trent following behind him.

Unfortunately, it seemed the blast had pushed them further into the woods than they thought. Without a watch, or the ability to clearly see the sun, they couldn't been sure how long they'd been walking, but Ethan was sure it had to be at least close to an hour, and there was no evidence that they were anywhere near exiting the thick trees.

"We must have been miles into the woods," he remarked. "Anything look familiar?" Connor and Trent shook their heads. "What about calling the raptor riders?"

"Worth a shot," Connor stated, and attempted to do so. Nothing happened. "Must be too far."

"Connor, why don't you go on ahead? See if you can figure out where we are?" Trent suggested. Ethan nodded agreement. Connor sighed, and gave a quick nod of his head.

"I won't be long," he stated. Ethan and Trent sank to the ground, the moment he was gone. Neither would admit to exhaustion. They'd worked out with Tommy all morning, been blown into the air by an explosion, and based on their pace, had just walked about three and a half miles. Ethan shot Trent a hesitant smile.

"How long do you think it'll be before he gets back?" Ethan asked.

Trent shrugged in response from his position against the base of a tree. "Fifteen minute or so. Whether or not he finds civilization, I'm not sure." Suddenly, the leaves rustled and a red blur shot by.

"So by fifteen minutes, you were being hopeful," Ethan laughed and groaned, knowing that with Connor back, they'd have to get moving again.

"You thought I'd be gone fifteen minutes? Am I getting rusty?" Connor laughed, bracing himself on his knees as he caught his breath. His speed was super human, but that didn't mean his lungs always were.

"So how far?" Trent asked him.

"Only about a mile," Connor replied, "but it's nowhere I've ever been."

"Thought you grew up in Reefside," Trent asked him.

"I did. But still, it's not familiar. I don't think we're in Reefside anymore," Connor replied, reaching a hand down to once again pull the exhausted blue ranger off the ground. Trent was already standing and ready to move again. "This way," Connor told them, nodding toward the direction he'd run off in only a minute or so before.

Trent and Ethan frowned, but followed. About twenty minutes or so later, the teenagers found themselves standing on the edge of a park. But it certainly wasn't Reefside Park.

"This is different," Ethan stated the obvious. But he wasn't just referring to their location. All around him were people, from elderly to children. At first glance, there was nothing odd about it, but the differences were in the details. Not a single individual was using a cell phone. Little boys and girls alike wore shorts that ended well above their knees. Most of the older individuals wore faded colored, straight legged jeans, with loose fitting brightly colored shirts.

"Definitely not Reefside," Trent added.

"Told you," Connor replied, pulling out his own cell phone and dialing Kira's number. The phone wouldn't connect. Connor pulled it away from his ear, staring at the screen. The phone showed no service. He snapped it shut and slide it back into his pocket. "No service," he explained to the two guys on either side of him. He brought his communicator out and pressed the buttons that would connect him to Kira and Tommy. No response came. Trent tried his, with the same result. "Come on, let's see if we can't figure out where we are. Ethan, any guesses as to the time?" Conner said, his cell phone was failing on that end as well.

"Judging from the position of the sun, around three pm." Connor nodded and began walking into the park. Trent and Ethan followed once again.

Slowly, the environment became less rural and more urban as they moved into the city or town proper. They saw fewer trees and more concrete. As they neared the roads, Ethan noticed there was something off about the vehicles driving on them. They seemed more box-ish, and less curved than the cars that they normally encounter in Reefside. He kept his observation to himself, however, as he brought up the rear. Every so often, he'd notice someone staring at them, and he was slowly starting to feel more and more out of place.

"Hey guys, this place is weird. Why don't we find someplace to try and figure out where we are?" Ethan suggested.

Connor nodded, and pointed up ahead at a building labeled 'Youth Center'. "Let's go in there," he offered. The other two shrugged, and followed. Inside, the hallway was crowded with teenagers. The clock on the wall showed it was about half past three. "School must be out," he stated.

"Isn't it Saturday?" Trent asked him with a grin. Connor grinned back and shrugged his shoulders as the three teenagers entered the main area of the youth center, finding a table with a few chairs that wasn't occupied. Falling into the chairs, they started to take in their surroundings. Off to one side were rows of grey metal lockers. There was also a counter, with several smoothie and drink machines behind it, so it was evident that the place sold refreshments. The main room was split level. The upper level supported the smoothie counter and the tables and chairs. The lower level was mostly filled with gym equipment. Weight machines, karate mats, and even some gymnastics equipment off on one side. Behind them to the other side were some vintage arcade games. A few teenagers surrounded the counters and the arcade games, but it was clear that the primary source of entertainment were the work out areas.

"Anyone else get the feeling this place is more than a little odd?" Ethan asked his friends, watching a group of teenagers having what he felt was way too much fun at an old Streetfighter arcade machine. "The owner must take great care of that," he added, indicating the condition of the machine.

"I dunno," Connor replied. "It's a little weird, but maybe it's just the culture here. The kids like to stay in shape," he said, indicating a group of four down at the mats. One of the guys had dark blond hair, wore a pair of blue jeans, a blue t-shirt, sleeveless white colored shirt that was unbuttoned, and a navy blue sleeveless vest, also open, over that. A pair of round, wire glasses adorned his face. He seemed to be refereeing the match. The other two teenage boys in the group were sparing with each other. One appeared of Asian descent. He wore a black tank top, and loose fitting light grey sweat pants. There was a cloth black belt tied around his waist. His opponent, was a slightly taller, Hispanic youth, wearing a dark, muted red t-shirt. His sweat pants were a dark chocolate brown color, but he wore a similar black cloth belt around his waist. Connor was pretty sure some of the moves they were using were from an advanced kata, known as Seisan that Tommy had been teaching them a few weeks before. The final individual at the mats was a girl with light brown skin. She wore a yellow t-shirt, with a pair of blue jean, bib overall, shorts over it. Her long black hair was pulled back in a multitude of braids, and she was cheering both of the guys on the mats on.

Connor and and Trent watched the match intently, while Ethan went to the counter and asked for three cups of water. He and Trent had left their wallets at Tommy's and Connor was broke. Both teens at the mats were using short range punches and low kicks, trying to unbalance each other. The match ended about fifteen minutes later with the teen in black on his back, his friend laughing and reaching a hand down to help him up, before the four made their way to a table not far from Connor and his teammates.

"There's something familiar about them," Ethan whispered, frowning. Trent heard him, but he was pretty sure Connor wasn't paying attention.

"That was awesome," Connor stated, louder than he originally intended. His statement caught the attention of the teenagers. The one in red smiled, as the group approached.

"Thanks man," he said, extending his hand to Connor. "Don't think I've seen you guys in Angel Grove before," he added. Ethan, who'd been taking a drink off his water, gasped, causing the water to slide down his trachea, resulting in a coughing fit. "Whoa, he alright?" The teen asked, as his friend in blue started patting Ethan on the back.

Trent did his best to compose his face after the revelation that they were in Angel Grove, while it didn't seem like Connor had even grasped the severity of the disclosure. "Yeah, he's fine," Trent said, more pointedly at Ethan. For his part, Ethan understood the hidden meaning of "compose yourself", and nodded, waving the blue clad teen off.

Connor took the extended hand. "I'm Connor McKnight. We're from Reefside," he stated, indicating himself, Trent and Ethan. "This is Trent Mercer and Ethan James."

"Reefside, huh?" The teen asked. "Never met anyone from there before. I'm Rocky DeSantos. This is Adam Park," he stated, indicating the boy in black, "Billy Cranston," he nodded toward the youth who'd gone to Ethan's aide, "and Aisha Campbell". Billy and Adam nodded in greeting, while Aisha added in that it was nice to meet them.

"You too," Ethan muttered, able to breathe again. Red flags and alarms were sounding in his head, but he couldn't place where the alarms were coming from, aside from the fact that the blast had definitely knocked them further than they thought possible.

"You just move here?" Adam asked the trio, as both groups pulled chairs up to a common table.

"No," Trent answered. "We're here on a field trip," he lied. "With our science teacher."

"Science teacher?" Billy asked, looking around.

"We got separated," Connor continued the cover story. Billy nodded.

"What are you studying?"

"Um…." Connor paused to think. "Rocks," he stated finally. The group of four gave him an odd look.

"He means fossils," Ethan interjected, "out in the desert. We're done for the day and we decided to…" Ethan's explanation was interrupted by characteristic tones sounding from Connor's wrist again.

"What was that?" Rocky asked the trio, who'd jumped at the sound. He wore a look of shock and surprise, similar to that of Adam, Aisha, and Billy.

"Alarm," Trent answered. Sighing. If they continued the one word answer thing, they were going to expose themselves. "Letting us know it's time to meet up with our teacher. We gotta go. It was nice meeting you." Connor and Ethan nodded, as the three of them, pushed away from the table, and dashed off in search of someplace secluded.

"That was strange," Ethan heard Aisha tell her friends as the three teens departed. He suspected they were nodding in agreement. He would have too. Their behavior was strange. The whole situation was strange. And there was something he should have noticed, but he couldn't pin point what it was.

"Everything hurts," a teenage girl muttered, slowly pushing herself from a reclined position into a seated one, as she leaned back on her elbows. She glanced around at her surroundings, trying to place them, but the sun was too bright, and it was hitting her square in the face. She blinked repeatedly, sitting up straighter and trying to shield her eyes with her hand. It took a few minutes for the white spots dancing in her vision to clear. Her black yoga pants and yellow tank top hadn't protected her body that much from the blast, and as a result, she had multiple scrapes and bruises. She studied these, noticing that they weren't bleeding, for a few moments before attempting once again to figure out where she was. Now that she could see, she examined the landscape, which consisted of a few scattered trees, but mostly lots of hard rock and sand. No wonder she had gotten banged up. To her right was an older man, with a black bandana on his head, wearing a black tank top and grey sweat shorts, lying face down on his stomach, covered in scratches and bruises. The girl watched him for a moment, noticing he was breathing, just unconscious.

"Dr. O?" she asked, not getting a response from the prone man. She pushed herself to her knees and leaned over him, shaking him. "Dr. O!" She called louder.

"Five more minutes," he muttered.

"Get up," the teenager replied, pushing herself to her feet. Once standing, she nudged him in the ribs with her foot. "This is your fault, you know."

For his part, Tommy slowly pulled himself to his knees, gently brushing gravel off the palms of his hands and the cheek that had been plastered to the ground. Blinking his eyes open, he turned his head to the left to peer at the teenager shooting him an icy glare. "How is it my fault, Kira? Chronosaurus did it. And the T-Rex blaster was Connor's idea."

"You helped create those things," she retorted, crossing her arms over her chest. "And Connor's not here."

"He's not?" Tommy asked, turning his head in multiple directions, attempting to locate the teenager. He couldn't argue with the other portion of Kira's statement.

"Nope. Neither are Ethan and Trent. We must have gotten separated in the blast." She was leaning against an outcropping of rocks, as Tommy pulled himself to his feet, and nodded. Standing, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He studied the screen for a minute, then held the phone out in front of him as far as he could, and began to spin in a circle, taking a few steps away every so often.

"No service," he finally called back to Kira. "Can't tell what time it is either," he added. Kira nodded, but she still kept glaring at him. "What's your watch say?"

Kira glanced down at the wrist watch she wore and frowned. The three useless hands were spinning in different directions. "Uh…." She said, tapping the screen. "I think the blast broke it." Tommy nodded again. "Any idea where we are?" she asked him.

"It looks familiar but I can't put my finger on it," he replied. "Probably the outskirts of town. Wow that blast was strong," he added, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand, and catching a glimpse of his communicator. "I'll try and contact Haley. Maybe she's heard from the guys." Kira nodded as her teacher, friend, mentor, teammate put his wrist in front of him and pressed a button. For a moment, it sounded like someone answered, and then static. Tommy frowned, and tried a second time. Same response. "Hello? Haley?" More static was the only response. "That's weird." He switched buttons, this time trying to contact Connor. A few moments passed without response, but this time it didn't sound like anyone answered. "Might as well start walking," he indicated to Kira. "I think town is this way."

Tommy started to walk, and Kira began to follow. They'd only walked a few feet when a voice radiated from Tommy's wrist. "Dr. O, is that you?"

"Connor," Tommy sighed with relief. "I was getting worried." He and Kira had both paused, and glanced around out of habit, despite the fact that they were definitely on their own.

"Sorry Dr. O," Connor's voice told them. "We weren't alone. Had to find a secluded spot."

"I understand. Trent and Ethan with you?"

"Hey Dr. O," both teens answered the question.

"Good," Tommy nodded. "Kira's with me, so we're all accounted for."

"Dr. O, we tried the communicator earlier, you didn't answer."

"Still unconscious," Kira answered. "We just came to. How long you guys been on your feet?"

"Not sure," was Ethan's response. "A few hours. Haley told us that Chronosaurus disappeared in the blast, so we haven't been too worried about the town."

"You spoke to Haley?" Tommy asked him.

"Yeah, but the connection was horrible, and we lost her after a minute," Ethan continued.

"All I got was static," Tommy replied. "But this connection is crystal clear. That's strange."

"You don't know the half of it," Trent snorted.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tommy asked him.

"Gotta go Dr. O. There are people everywhere. We're at a place called the 'Youth Center'. Head there when you get into town, we'll meet you outside," Connor's words were rushed and suddenly the connection went dead. Judging by how quickly it had been cut, Tommy didn't dare try reaching the boys again. Instead he sighed and started walking again.

"At least they're alright," Kira told him, falling into step beside him. Tommy nodded. Lost in thought. Why did 'Youth Center' send chills running down his spine? There was no place that he knew of by that name in Reefside.

"You ever heard of a 'Youth Center?" Tommy questioned Kira. She shrugged and shook her head.

"Maybe he meant Cyberspace?" It was Tommy's turn to shrug in response. They spent the next twenty minutes or so walking in silence, before Tommy spoke up.

"Listen Kira, I'm sorry I've been so tough on you guys lately."

"It's alright Dr. O," Kira replied, looking up at him. "I understand. It's so we can be ready for days like this."

"Yeah, but I could take it a bit easier on you. My mentor let us do what we wanted every now and then, and the aliens didn't conquer the world," Tommy laughed. "I promise, in the future, more days off."

"Thanks," Kira laughed. They'd both come to a stop at the bottom of a steep hill. "Race you to the top old man?" She laughed.

"You're on," Tommy retorted and took off running, Kira right on his feet. The hill was tough, and a few times each had to use their hands to help pull themselves up. Despite Kira's 'Old Man' comment, Tommy crested the hill a few feet ahead of his younger companion. "Oh… My… God…" Tommy breathed staring into the distance. He drew out the space between each word, his eyes going wide as he studied the view.

"What? What is it?" Kira asked, below him. Tommy didn't answer, just brought his hands to his eyes and rubbed them. The scenery in front of him didn't change. Kira finally reached the crest and stood next to him, taking in the sight. "That's not Reefside," she stated, matter of fact. Tommy shook his head. "Do you know where it is?" Tommy nodded. "Want to tell me?"

"A-a-angel Grove," Tommy choked out.

"Angel Grove?" Kira looked at him as if he'd sprouted an extra head. "THE Angel Grove." Tommy nodded again. "As in the home of the Power Rangers," she dropped her voice to a quiet hiss on the last two words.

"Well, technically Reefside is also home of the Power Rangers."

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah," Tommy affirmed. "Ok, so that blast was… well, I don't know what it was. But at least I know what Connor meant by youth center. Come on, it's not far."

"You know where to go?" Kira asked him, slightly skeptical. Tommy just gave her a questioning look. Kira sighed. "Alright, lead on." She followed him down the other side of the hill, out of the desert they'd landed in and into the paved city streets. They'd been walking for a few minutes, when Kira began to notice some things that were out of place. A lot of the population road bikes, or used skate boards. She even saw several groups of people on in-line skates. They passed several payphone booths along the way, and even a few of them were in use. "Dr. O?" she called, wanting to see if he noticed anything unusual.

"It's right here," Tommy replied, not quite paying attention. He came to a stop outside a white building with an orange roof. He immediately began scanning the area for the three missing teenagers.

"Dr. O!" Connor's voice reached him, and he and Kira turned to see the three jogging towards him from the bench they were seated on. "You found us."

"I have been here a time or two, Connor," Tommy told him, shaking his head and laughing. "I take it you guys know where you are."

"Yeah, but Dr. O," Ethan started, "something weird is going on."

Tommy just nodded, assuming the teen was referring to their random longitude and latitude change. "Is cell service any better here? We should try contacting Haley now that we're all together."

"Already tried while we waited on you," Trent told him. "None of us has reception."

"That is weird," Tommy stated, pulling out his own phone and checking for signal. Kira did as well. Satisfied that Trent was right, he thrust it back into his pocket. "Alright then, we might as well go inside and sit down while we discuss how to get back to Reefside." The teens nodded, and Connor lead his now regrouped team back into the youth center, and to the table the three had occupied earlier. The teens they'd been chatting with were no longer in view.

As they sat down at the table, Ethan noticed Tommy frowning, searching the place. "Something wrong Dr. O?"

"It hasn't changed," he muttered, more to himself, than to his teammates. The others had already sat down, but he was still standing, his eyes scanning every inch of the space inside.

"So, what? They haven't remodeled since you were a kid," Connor told him. "What's the big deal?"

"No," Tommy replied, a slight sigh in his voice, his face seeming to be stuck in a perpetual frown. He slowly sat down into a chair, slightly obscured from view by a column. "Absolutely nothing has changed. Everything is exactly the same."

"It can't be, Dr. O," Kira told him, laughing. "I'm sure they don't have ten year old toilet paper in the bathroom."

"Ha ha," he told her. "But I'm serious. Everything is in the exact same plac..."

"Connor!" A familiar voice cut him off, causing him to jerk his head in the direction it came from. The four teenagers turned as well. "Trent! Ethan! You came back." The red clad teenager and his friends from earlier were walking towards them. But instead of four, there were five of them. A new girl, clad in a white crop top, pink jean shorts, and white tennis shoes had joined them.

"Fuckin Hell," Tommy cursed, and suddenly he disappeared.


	3. Chapter 3

So, I went back and forth on how this story was going to go. The chapters have thus far been about half the length of a normal chapter for me, but they had natural stopping points (I couldn't not end the previous chapter on Tommy's revelation), so as long as that pattern continues, I'll try to post two chapters at once.

To critique myself, the battle with the monster was fairly weak. To defend it, the monster is very much just a tool used to get the Dino Thunder Rangers back to the past. This story is about the relationships between all of the Rangers; what they were in the past, what they were in this present, and what could possibly be instore in the future. So, while I feel bad, about how undeveloped I made that fight, I'm not devastated about it. I may go back in the future and make some edits.

Oh, and if you're reading, and enjoying, I'd love to hear from you. Reviews are always great.

* * *

Kira blinked rapidly, stunned that the man who had been seated beside her was suddenly gone. Granted, she knew he was still there, but normally she knew when he was about to disappear.

"Wasn't there someone sitting here a second ago?" The question came from the teenager in red and brown in front of them, which brought Kira's attention back to the problem at hand.

"Um…" Connor hesitated a moment, glancing at the seat where Tommy had been mere seconds before. "No."

The teenager didn't look convinced. Neither did the one in blue, who was reaching a hand toward the chair where Tommy had been sitting. Kira wasn't sure that he still wasn't there, and she was doing a poor job of hiding her distress. Only when the teenager's hand did not come in contact with anything, did she allow herself to relax.

"You sure?" the teen in blue asked, poking his hand into thin air above the chair. Realizing their teacher had safely vacated the chair, the other three dino ranger teens visibly relaxed as well.

"Positive," Trent stated, sounding much more confident than he had been earlier. "Are you sure you're not seeing things?" He asked, turning the suspicion back on the other group of teenagers.

"Wouldn't be the first time they've seen things," the teenager in yellow stated, her eyes coming to rest on Kira. She smiled kindly. "Hi, I'm Aisha Campbell," she stated. "We met your friends earlier."

"Oh, um… hi. I'm Kira Ford," the dino thunder teen replied. "Sorry, my friends aren't good at introductions."

"Mine aren't either," Aisha replied. "This is Rocky DeSantos, Adam Park, Billy Cranston, and Kimberly Hart," she explained, indicating the red, black, blue, and pink clad individuals, as the five teenagers pulled up chairs to join the other four teens. Adam slipped into the chair that Tommy had just vacated, which would have been ironic, if the dino thunder teens had any idea what was going on. "Kim, these are the three guys from Reefside we were telling you about earlier."

"Nice to meet you," the girl known as Kimberly said, nodding her head forward in greeting.

"Thought you guys said you had to meet up with your teacher," Billy asked the four teenagers, who all cast their gaze toward Connor.

"We did," he stated. "But we couldn't find him."

"We ran into Kira outside," Ethan added in as an explanation for why they were suddenly joined by a fourth teenager.

"You're all bruised," Kimberly expressed, study Kira. Her skin was the lightest, and most exposed by her clothing. The bruises and scratches from the blast and landing were much more evident on her than they were on the guys.

"She fell this afternoon while we were digging for fossils," Trent lied. Kira, confused, shrugged and nodded, giving the teens a shy smile. When the other teens weren't looking, she mouthed 'fossils?' at Trent who shot her a look that said he'd explain later.

"You sure you're ok?" Aisha asked her.

"I've had much worse," Kira assured her. "I'm such a klutz sometimes," she added, though it wasn't exactly true. She'd had worse; like the first time she landed on Dr. O's jeep after falling from an invisiportal which had really hurt; but typically her bruises weren't self-inflicted.

"Anymore classmates with you?" Adam asked them. Kira shook her head in response.

"No, it's just the four of us and our science teacher," she explained.

"What brings you guys back in? You weren't here when we got back," Trent asked.

"Oh, um…" now it the other group's turn to hesitate. Rocky seemed at a loss for words, and none of the other teenagers immediately stepped up to help. Ethan watched the teenager struggle to answer Trent's question, still trying to figure out why there was a nagging pit in his stomach telling him that something was severely wrong. The feeling had only intensified when Tommy pulled his disappearing act.

"We stepped out to get some fresh air," Adam finally filled in for his friend, shooting him a glare for his hesitation, while running a hand over the back of his head. Trent frowned, pretty sure that the local teenagers were lying to them. "And Kim wanted to show us what she'd bought at the mall," Adam added, sensing that the four from Reefside didn't quite believe him.

Trent nodded, if only because he was trying to take pity on the other youth and end the lie before it became more complicated. Adam was beginning to shoot a look that screamed 'help' towards his friends. Kira could have sworn she heard a slight snicker come from the empty seat at the table behind them.

"Hey guys, maybe we should go find Dr. O?" She stated, remembering their currently invisible science teacher now that she heard him laugh. She stood up from the table, stretching. "He won't like it that we've gone and disappeared." For some reason, Tommy hadn't wanted to be seen by the teenagers in front of her. She wasn't completely sure why, but she figured it had something to do with the bad feeling she kept getting. Something didn't feel right. She glanced at the clock that was nearing about 4:30 in the afternoon.

"Dr. O?" Billy asked. "That's an odd name for a teacher." Connor, Trent, and Ethan had stood when Kira did.

"It's a nickname," Connor started, stretching his hands above his head. Their muscles were so bruised; they were cramping and going stiff even after only a few minutes of not moving. "His really name is Dr. Oli- Ow! Fuck!" Connor hissed, grabbing his left shin, and hopping up and down on his right leg. Something, or someone, had kicked him, hard. Connor fell backward into his chair, still hissing in pain.

"Is he alright? What happened?" Rocky asked. The five local Angel Grove teens had jumped up in surprise when Connor yelled out.

"He's fine," Ethan told them, not showing any concern for his friend. He, Trent, and Kira could guess what had just happened. "Probably tweaked a muscle. We all took a few tumbles on the dig this morning," he added. Rocky and the others didn't look convinced. In fact that looked even more suspicious of the four teenagers than they had since they met them. But that didn't matter. All that did matter was that apparently not only did their teacher not want these teenagers to see him, but he didn't want them to learn his name either. He just hoped a kick in the shin would be all that was necessary to keep Connor quiet.

"Let me get you some ice. Surely your teacher can wait just a bit longer?" Kimberly asked.

"I don't know," Kira sighed, her eyes scanning the area for any sign of the invisible man who'd delivered a debilitating kick to Connor's leg. The red clad teen had tears in his eyes, and was still muttering curses under his breath. "I guess it would be ok."

Kimberly nodded and ran off to the counter, while the other seven teenagers resumed their seats. Kira noticed the chair just to Connor's right slide out from the table ever so slightly. Reassured that Tommy was still with them, she looked over at Connor. "You going to be ok?"

"He- Yeah, I'll be fine," Connor stated. He'd wanted to shout 'he kicked me', but he was pretty sure 'he' was still there and that he'd get kicked again, if he did. Not to mention the confusion that would cause. They were already lying through their teeth, and Connor really didn't want to have to pretend that he suffered from a brain injury. He wasn't sure why, but he rather liked these people, and he didn't want them to think he was crazy.

"Mind if I look at your leg while Kim gets ice?" Aisha asked him. "These two are always tweaking muscles," she explained, jerking her head back toward Adam and Rocky, who smiled shyly. Connor shook his head, indicated that he didn't mind, as Aisha lifted his leg into her lap to look at it. A bruise was beginning to appear that she was pretty sure hadn't been there when they'd met the teenager earlier. Aisha frowned, and let go of his leg. "Hey Billy, come with me. Let's go help Kim with the ice."

"Aisha, I'm pretty sure Kim is capable of getting ice on her own," Billy replied. Aisha glared at him. "Or, I can help you get the ice." He glanced at Adam and Rocky, who shrugged.

Connor took a moment to lean over to the side and whisper to Ethan. "Dude, that Kimberly chick looks just like the woman from this morning. I swear they could be sisters," he stated, but Ethan was the only one who heard him. The blue clad teenager frowned.

"There's something about this whole situation that's got me feeling really uneasy," Ethan stated. Adam and Rocky were involved in a conversation of their own, so they didn't hear what Ethan said to Trent, Connor and Kira.

"I think Ethan's right. It's probably time to go," Trent muttered. As if in answer the chair at the neighboring table slid back slightly as its invisible occupant stood up. Trent dropped his voice to an even lower whisper. "And I think Dr. O agrees." Connor, Kira, and Ethan all nodded and were about to stand up when their actions were interrupted by Kimberly's voice.

"I got plenty of ice," she stated. The pink clad teenager had almost reached them, followed by three others, Aisha and Billy, and another male youth decked out in a pair of pale blue jeans, a grey tank top, and an oversized loose white shirt. The youth's hair was longer than Kimberly's, and hung loose around his shoulders. Her statement was met by a "that's great Kim" from Adam and Rocky. Connor just sighed and sank back into his chair. "And I found someone else in the process," she added, smiling brightly as she reached the group. "Connor, Kira, Trent, Ethan," she stated. "This is Tommy Oliver."

"I think I'm going to be sick," Kira stated, jumping up from her chair and racing off in the direction of the rest room sign. Ethan's face was slightly green, as he finally realized exactly what it was that had been sending him warning signals for the last hour or so. Connor and Trent both wore expressions that said they'd seen a ghost.

"Is she ok?" the new teen asked the three boys. "I didn't do anything, right?" he wore a casual smile, but his eyes were full of concern for the girl he didn't know.

"I think so," Trent muttered, really unsure of how to act. A few minutes ago, he'd been standing outside the current building talking to his science teacher who was twenty seven years old, clad mostly in black, wore glasses, and kept his hair cropped short and spiked. Now, standing directly in front of him, was a seventeen year old version of the same man, wearing mostly white, no glasses, and hair like a girl. He made a mental note to let Connor be the one to state that fact later. It might be worth watching him get kicked in the other shin.

"Maybe it's a stomach bug," Aisha volunteered, concern for the other yellow clad teenager clear on her face. Trent just nodded, his eyes still locked on Tommy. Connor and Ethan were staring as well.

"Is there something on my face?" the teen asked, light heartedly. It was enough to bring the three boys out of their stupor.

"Sorry, you just remind us of a friend from back home," Ethan supplied. "He just moved away and we haven't seen him in a while," he added onto the lie, hoping to make it more convincing. It must have worked, since Tommy nodded.

"Connor, here's the ice," Kimberly stated, reaching around the long haired teen and handing Connor a makeshift ice pack. Connor smiled his thanks, doing his best to keep his eyes off Tommy. It was hard to do since the white clad teen had plopped down in a chair across from him and pulled the pink clad girl into his lap. "You should keep it there for at least ten minutes," she told him. "And keep it elevated."

"Yes ma'am," he stated, watching her snuggle against Tommy while he did what he was told. He suppressed an involuntary shudder. There was something truly disturbing about watching someone who looked exactly like his science teacher, cuddle with someone who looked like the woman he'd tried to date that morning. Granted, the man who looked exactly like his science teacher was his science teacher, but that didn't exactly make it any better. He shot a look at Trent and Ethan, who both shrugged, not really sure what to say or do about the situation either. Ethan however, was mentally kicking himself for not realizing the problem earlier. If he'd remember the names and faces from the video diary he, Connor, and Kira had stumbled upon, then he could have spoken up earlier. Now, they were stuck until Kira came back. He just hoped she actually did.

About fifteen minutes later, Kira finally emerged from the bathroom. Trent jumped up and ran to her the moment she showed herself. She looked weaker, pale, and visibly shaken. Trent placed his hands on her shoulders, rubbing her arms up and down. "Are you ok?" he spoke to her quietly. Kira gazed over her shoulder at the group of six Angel Grove teens and Connor and Ethan, sitting around the tables talking.

"That's what I think it is, isn't it? I mean, I'm not crazy?" Kira asked him, her voice shaking still, but too quiet for anyone but Trent to hear.

"Yes," a new voice whispered, just loud enough for the two teenagers to hear. They both jumped slightly. "Sorry," the voice added. "We need to get out of here." Both teenagers nodded.

"We'll get Connor and Ethan and meet you outside," Trent told him, appearing to the others like he was still trying to comfort Kira.

"Same bench where you were earlier," the voice told them and then disappeared.

Trent took Kira's hand and led her over to the others. "Hey guys, Kira thinks she picked up some type of stomach bug. You ready to head back to the hotel? I think she should lie down." His words were simple enough, but his tone conveyed urgency and hidden meaning.

"Yeah. Connor you good to walk?" Ethan asked, standing up. Connor moved the ice pack off his leg and stood up.

"Good as new," he stated, smiling at Kimberly, but avoiding looking at Tommy beside her. "Thanks for the ice. It did the trick."

"You're welcome," she stated smiling.

Rocky stood as well and extended his hand out to Connor again. "See you around? If you're in town a while, you can always find us here."

"Yeah, uh, maybe. Not sure when our teacher's going to want to leave. Especially now that Kira's sick," Conner stated, trying to avoid promises, and bringing up his teacher again. Rocky nodded, and both groups parted in a string of goodbyes.

Trent, Kira's hand still clutched in his, led the way back out of the youth center. The moment they were out of sight of the six Angel Grove teenagers, he nearly broke into a sprint. At almost 5:00pm, the sun was just beginning to drop, when the teens emerged out onto the side walk. Trent scanned the area anxiously, visibly sighing when he spotted what he was looking for.

Doctor Thomas Oliver was seated on a bench outside the youth center. His elbows perched on his knees as he leaned forward, massaging his temples with his index fingers, eyes squeezed shut, thumbs pressed against his eyelids underneath the rims of his glasses. As the teenagers neared him, they realized he was muttering something to himself, but they couldn't make it out. They weren't even sure he was speaking English, let alone making sense.

"Dr. O? What the hell is going on?" Kira nearly screamed, startling the people walking around them. Connor and Ethan smiled at the stares, waving the people on. They both shot her a glare.

"Not here," Tommy replied, standing up. "Come with me," he added, walking quickly. The teenagers had to jog to keep up with him. After a while, they reached the park Connor, Ethan, and Trent had trekked through, and the teens thought he'd stop. Unfortunately he kept going, and showed no signs of stopping, or being willing to tell them where he was going. The psychotic game of follow the leader, took the teenagers through the park and back into the woods, although Tommy veered into a direction Connor, Ethan, and Trent had not ventured. "It's going to be dark in a few hours," Tommy muttered, but the teens were pretty sure he wasn't talking to them. The sun was still up, but because of how low it was in the sky, the woods were already pretty dark. The teens did their best not to stumble over any roots or stumps as they went. Their teacher seemed to be following some type of rough trail.

It was probably after six in the evening when Tommy finally began to slow his pace. Ethan's muscles were throbbing. Adding to the four and a half miles that he'd trekked through the woods earlier, based on the pace Tommy had set for them, they'd done at least another five, if not close to six. All he wanted was a nice hot shower and a place to lie down. Finally, Tommy led them into a clearing beside a lake. A small wooden cabin sat on its shore. Tommy seemed to sigh in relief at the sight of it. He took off running as soon as he was sure the four teenagers were right behind him. Reaching the porch, Tommy began rifling around. He checked under flower pots, behind porch chairs, and in the hanging baskets on the awning. He ran his hands along the door frame, and finally checked under the door mat.

"What are you looking for?" Trent asked him.

"Key," was Tommy's one word answer. The teens suddenly split up and began to help with the search. A few minutes later they heard Ethan's victory "Ah ha". He'd found the key hidden beneath the first front step of the cabin's porch. The blue clad teenager handed the key off to Tommy, who gave him a smile and unlocked the door, immediately flipping on the lights as they entered.

The teens followed him inside and took a look around the small cabin. They were standing in a tiny living room which was furnished with an old worn out sofa, and a beat up leather recliner. To the left was small kitchen with a refrigerator, stove, microwave, and coffee maker. A floor to ceiling cabinet stood in the corner beside the fridge. Just beyond the kitchen was set of stairs that led to a small loft. The teens could see the top of a twin bunk bed that appeared to be situated at the back of the loft. Under the loft and behind the sofa was an old wooden dining room table and chairs. To the right were three doors, all open. The one closest to the front door and the only one they could see into held a full size bed and triple dresser.

Tommy sunk into the recliner as the teens followed him in. Trent, Ethan, and Kira collapsed onto the sofa, while Connor fell into one of the dining room chairs. After a few minutes of relative silence where all five tried to catch their breath and figure out exactly what it is that had just happened, Kira finally looked up at Tommy.

"Now?" She asked him quietly. Tommy looked up from where he'd be studying his shoes. He met her eyes, sighed and nodded. "What the hell is going on?" the teenager screamed. It may not have been her ptera scream, but it was damn near close. All four men winced, ears ringing.

"Feel better?" Trent muttered. Kira nodded. "Well?" he asked, looking at their teacher.

"I'm not sure. Something our Z-rex blaster and the Chronosaurus combined did. I can't even begin to tell you how, but we're in Angel Grove, 1995."

"As in the year 1995?" Ethan asked him. Tommy nodded. "How is that even remotely possible? We talked to Haley!"

"You said there was static on the connection. I think that you may have just made contact as the time hole we arrived through was closing," Tommy told them. "Once it did, we were completely cut off from our time."

"So you're serious?" Kira asked. "We really just did see… well, you?"

"Yeah," Tommy muttered "And the other rangers."

"This is so weird," Ethan stated quietly. Trent just shook his head, muttering something about a headache. Connor strangely hadn't said a word. He was very pale, and looked a little sick. "Well, it explains why you went invisible. If they'd seen you…," Ethan continued.

Tommy just nodded, a sickening feeling turning in his stomach at the thought. "That would have been really bad. They would have recognized me instantly."

"I'm sorry Dr. O," Ethan blurted. "I should have remembered."

"It's not your fault Ethan. I don't expect you to remember everything from that video. It was never my intention for you to see that anyway."

"I'm sorry too," Connor finally spoke. "I should have thought… you didn't want them to see your face, I should have realized name was a bad idea too."

"You learned your lesson," Tommy told him. "Your shin ok?" Connor nodded. "Kira you feeling better?"

"I don't know if I'll ever feel better again," she replied honestly. "We've been through some weird things before, but this is by far the weirdest."

"I've been through stranger," Tommy told them. "I've been reversed in age, twice," he added with a grin. The three teenagers stared at him like he'd grown to 50 feet tall.

"How can you joke at a time like this?" Trent asked him.

"I'm not joking," Tommy told him, glad for something to laugh at after feeling so tense.

"So we know where we are," Ethan stated. "And when. What do we do now?"

"I haven't thought that far ahead yet. I was a bit pre-occupied playing hide and seek, and then figuring out where it would be safe to go. One step at a time."

"Ok, well for now," Kira replied, "what is this place?"

"My uncle's cabin. It should be a relatively safe place to hide out."

"Relatively?" Connor asked. The teens stood up and had begun to explore the cabin, opening cabinets and doors. Inspection of the kitchen revealed bare bones, but there were a few canned and boxed meals. The other two doors revealed a bedroom at the back identical to the first, and a full bathroom in between.

"I do know where it is," Tommy told them. Seeing the weird looks they gave him, he clarified. "1995 me. He might decide to come here."

"You'll just have to go invisible if he does," Trent said with a shrug. "We'll come up with some other lie if we need to cross that bridge." Tommy nodded.

"So, what do we do now?" Kira asked.

"We settle in until I come up with a plan. Kira, you'll take the back room, I'll take the front. You three can play rock paper scissors or whatever. Looser gets the couch. The other two can have the bunk beds in the loft." While he was talking, Tommy disappeared into the back bedroom, emerging with a bundle of cloth. He tossed a pair of white sweat pants at Trent, gray at Connor, and a pair of green shorts at Ethan. Lastly was a pink nightgown that he threw at Kira, who raised an eyebrow at him in question. Tommy just shrugged. "You can have the shower first, Kira," he told her. The girl nodded, and disappeared into the bathroom.

"I'm hungry Dr. O," Connor announced. Ethan and Trent smirked, while Tommy just shook his head.

"I'll make dinner.

* * *

"So that was weird, right?" Kimberly asked her group of friends, watching the retreating forms of the Reefside teenagers. Around her, her friends all nodded agreement.

"No argument here," Tommy told her, shuddering a little. Being stared at was really uncomfortable. He didn't very much like being the center of attention.

"Yeah, but it's not like we're exactly normal," Adam added in as the teens moved completely out of view. He turned his attention away from their backs and onto the faces of his friends. "I about had a heart attack when they asked where we'd gone and Rocky couldn't come up with a cover story."

"I panicked!" Rocky protested.

"Ape boy," Adam told him, "when Tommy's not here, you're leader. You can't panic." Aisha nodded, while Billy and Kimberly laughed. Tommy just smiled at Rocky sympathetically.

"Speaking of not being here, how'd it go when we left?" Billy asked, turning his attention off of the red clad youth with the wounded pride and onto his white clad leader.

Tommy sighed, leaning forward in his chair so he could talk to each of his friends while keeping his voice down. This was not a conversation just anyone should hear. "Nothing major. The proximately alert didn't yield anything new, but Zordon and Alpha found five weird energy signatures. Two of them were within the range that the proximately alert originated from. I check out the area, but whatever they were, they weren't there anymore. The other three were from about four miles into the woods around the park. Checked it out, but nothing."

"You think maybe those teens have something to do with it?" Adam asked. Tommy shrugged in response.

"Tommy said there were five energy signatures, not four," Kimberly protested. "It couldn't be them."

"I don't know," Rocky added, looking lost in thought. "I still say I saw someone sitting next to Kira when we first got here. And there were five chairs pulled up to the table."

"Rocky," Aisha told him. "People don't just disappear." Rocky gave her a look. "Ok, normal people."

"But that's just it," he retorted. "Didn't we just say they didn't seem normal?" His friends weren't quite convinced. "Billy, you saw it to, right?"

"Rocky, I'm not sure what I saw," Billy told him, sighing. "I mean, I suppose there could have been someone there."

"See," Rocky stated, cutting Billy off.

"But I didn't see it clearly, and there was definitely no one in that space when we got to the table," Billy finished.

"Maybe we should keep an eye on them, while they're in town," Tommy suggested, "you know, just in case? After all, Aisha said that bruise on Connor's leg had just appeared. Bruises don't create themselves." He hadn't been there when the so called disappearance had occurred, so he couldn't just accept or dismiss it, but he didn't want to hurt Rocky's feelings by saying he didn't believe him. Rocky and the others nodded. "Zordon and Alpha are going to be scanning the morphing grid," Tommy continued. "We can check back in with them tomorrow. Let's go get something for dinner, and call it a night?" His teammates agreeing, the six teenagers grabbed their belongings and left the youth center.

* * *

So I toyed with the idea of whether or not I was going to introduce the Original Rangers point of view this early on, or if I'd wait until they were spending a bit more time with the Dino Thunder Rangers. However, I decided, it was worth providing a bit of insight into where they had gone when not in the youth center, and why Tommy wasn't with them at first.

Hope you enjoyed reading. Please Review.


	4. Chapter 4

"So what do you want to do this afternoon?" Tommy asked. He was laying on his back, in the grass beside the lake. His head was resting in the lap of a girl clad in a pink floral, short sleeve sun dress. Her sandals were resting beside her, her back leaned up against the tree that provided them both with shade from the sun, and her legs were stretched out and crossed at the ankles. She was running her fingers through his long hair, her eyes closed, humming quietly.

"I'm almost too scared to plan anything," Kimberly told him, looking down at his face and cracking a smile. Tommy grinned back. "Zedd and Rita haven't attacked in a while, so the moment we do plan something they'll just ruin it."

"I know what you mean," Tommy replied. He was dressed simply in a white t-shirt and jeans, black gym shoes still on his feet. He'd had his hair tied back, but the moment they sat down, Kim had taken his hair out of the pony tail and spread it around his head like a halo. Tommy liked the attention and touch of her fingers, so he never argued. "But this is nice," he added. "We can plan to stay here."

"Mmmhmm," Kimberly replied, leaning her head back against the tree once more. Tommy closed his eyes as well, listening to the birds chirping. There was a frog somewhere nearby in the pond, and a few crickets he could hear in the grass not far from where he lay. This was how a weekend was supposed to go. No weird aliens showing up, not odd situations to face. Just him and his girlfriend.

"Tommy?"

"Hmm?" he answered, not fully stirring. He was falling asleep in her lap.

"Tommy?"

"Yeah?" he replied to her voice which had sounded further away the second time. Maybe he was sleepier than he'd thought.

"Tommy?"

"I said what" he muttered, though he didn't open his eyes. There was a bit of a grumble in his voice.

"Dr. O?" Kira called again, giving her science teacher's shoulder another shake. He was laying on his stomach in bed, his arms wrapped tightly underneath the pillow supporting his head, his mouth slightly open, and the pillow was a bit moist. He cracked an eye open and could just make out the blurry shape of a girl wearing a knee length short sleeve pink shirt. He frowned.

"Kimberly?"

"Uh… no" Kira said, slightly hesitant. After seeing who Kimberly was yesterday, the thought that her science teacher had confused her with the former pink ranger made her feel queasy, and she definitely didn't want to spend any more time retching over a toilet bowl. "Dr. O, it's me Kira."

Tommy slowly came back to the world of consciousness, letting her words sink in. He rolled over and sat up in the bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and fumbling around on the night stand beside the bed for his glasses. Kira reached over and grabbed them, handing them to him.

"Thanks," he muttered. "Time is it?"

"Nine thirty," Kira replied. Tommy nodded. He very rarely slept that late anymore. But after the events of the previous day, he wasn't all that surprised that he'd given in to exhaustion. "Dr. O? Where are our clothes?"

"Oh, um… dryer. Closet beneath the stairs," he told her. After the teens had gone to bed, Tommy had tossed all their clothing from the day before into the wash since it was some of the only stuff they had. Kira nodded, and disappeared back out of the bedroom, leaving Tommy alone with his thoughts, still trying to shake himself from the dream. He hadn't dreamed of being with Kimberly in a long time. But watching himself with her yesterday had brought back memories he'd thought were long since buried deep in his subconscious. This adventure was proving to be a very strong shovel and he wasn't sure if he should be pleased or distressed by that fact.

Tommy pushed the blankets off his legs and swung them off the edge of the bed. Stretching, he glanced at himself in the mirror. He was clad only in a pair of white gym shorts, and his glasses. Now that his vision had cleared from sleep, and he could see relatively clearly without them, he pulled them back off, and ran his hand through his short hair. Hair shorter, a few more laugh and worry wrinkles in his face, and he was definitely a bit more muscular, but otherwise he looked nearly the same as he had when he was seventeen. Take away the black, and he almost didn't recognize his current self. He sighed and put his glasses back on, before walking out into the living area of the cabin. He nodded to Connor, Ethan, and Trent, sitting at the dining table, bent over bowls of dry cereal whispering, as he went into the kitchen to fix himself something to eat.

Connor was talking in a hushed voice with his fellow male teenage teammates. "Guys, I swear it. She looked exactly like her."

"Are you sure?" Ethan whispered back.

Connor nodded. "Yeah, but there's no way she was Dr. O's age," he stated. "I told you Friday. She couldn't have been more than her very early twenties. You know, college age."

"I don't know Connor," Trent told him, shaking his head. "It seems like an awfully strange coincidence. Morning Dr. O," he added, as the older man joined them at the table, his own bowl of dry fruit loops in his hand.

"Morning. Where'd Kira go?"

"Changing. Said something about avoiding wearing pink as much as possible," Ethan told him. Tommy winced, realizing his mistake from a few minutes before. He didn't share, just nodded his understanding to the kid wearing green gym shorts.

"Dr. O," Connor began, "does Kimberly have a sister?"

Tommy frowned at him. The question was sudden and out of left field, even for Connor. "No, why?" he answered, the inflection in his voice conveying all the suspicion the white clad black ranger had for current red ranger. Connor shrugged.

"No reason," he stated, shoveling a spoonful of cereal into his mouth. Tommy opened his mouth to press the issue, but Kira emerged from her room at that moment wearing the exact same outfit she'd been wearing the day before. She slipped into a fifth chair at the table as Trent pushed his half eaten bowl towards her. She smiled a thanks, taking a spoonful.

"Dr. O, we're going to need to figure out the clothing situation," she told him. "We've got no idea how long we'll be here, but we can't go around wearing the same thing every day. Someone is bound to notice."

Tommy nodded his agreement and stood up, disappearing into the room Kira had slept in again. He came back with a wooden box sealed with a combination lock. "I've been thinking about that," he told the teenagers sitting at the table, as he rejoined them. He studied the lock for a few moments and then began trying a random assortment of numbers. He tried his birthdate, then the day he'd become a ranger, the day he'd become the white ranger. Next he entered his family members' birthdays. Finally, when nothing else worked, he'd tried his anniversary with Kim. The lock sprung open, and Tommy sighed. He should have guessed that earlier. Inside the box was cash. Not an amazing amount, but it would be enough to survive on for a while, as long as they were careful.

"Whose money is that?" Connor asked, staring into the box in shock.

"It's mine," Tommy told him. "Or it was, or is it that it will be?" He blinked a few times, trying to think. "I'm not exactly sure what verb to use right now." The teens nodded, sort of understanding.

"Won't you notice it's gone?" Trent asked him. Tommy shook his head.

"I was never really saving it for anything specific. And I don't remember it being missing, so that's got to mean something."

"If you say so," Ethan said, watching Tommy count the bills. Tommy took a few and tucked them into his pocket, putting the rest back in the lock box and securing the lock. He put the box up in the cabinet about the refrigerator.

"Alright, let's go get dressed. Then we'll hit the thrift store for clothing, and the grocery store for some more food," he told the teenagers. "We'll decide what to do after that." The teenagers nodded, the boys going off to do what they were told while Kira gathered up the bowls from breakfast and took them to the sink for washing. Tommy gave her a smile of thanks before ducking back into his room. He'd taken his own clothing out of the dryer the night before and folded them on top of the triple dresser. He shut the door and began to change, feeling a bit more like himself and further from the youth he'd seen yesterday once he was again wearing black. He'd have to instruct Kira to grab him a few things from the thrift shop as well.

"Much better," Trent replied from his spot on the couch when Tommy rejoined them in the living room a few minutes later. Tommy shot him a glare, but Trent just laughed, knowing his teammate understood he wasn't happy sharing a color with him.

"You all ready to go?" Tommy asked. Ethan and Connor were coming back down the stairs from the loft, and Kira was finishing fixing her hair in the bathroom mirror with the brush she'd managed to find, after she sanitized it with a bit of alcohol Tommy had found in the cabins liquor cabinet. He was rather glad his uncle never kept track of how much of that stuff he had in the cabin. All four teens nodded. "Alright then. You can follow me as far as the park, but once we get there, I'm going to have to go invisible. If anyone I knew sees me, I'll be recognized. Rangers or not," he explained. "I'll whisper directions to Connor from that point, so just follow him and look like you know where you're going."

"But what if someone from yesterday sees us? How do we explain wearing the same clothing, two days in a row?" Connor asked him.

"We'll say the fossil digging is dirty work and we didn't want to ruin more than one outfit. We'll say we spent the morning at the dig site," Kira told him. Trent had filled her in on the cover story that the boys had come up with the day before.

Everyone nodded and followed Tommy out the door of the cabin, who locked the door and slipped the key into his pocket. They reached the edge of the woods in a slightly longer amount of time than it had taken them the day before due to the fact that they weren't in any specific rush. Judging from the position of the sun, it was nearly, or possibly just after eleven in the morning. Tommy signaled the teenagers to stop, and reached into his pocket. He pulled out five, twenty dollar bills. He handed one to Connor, one to Ethan, one to Trent, and two to Kira. "Use that to buy yourselves some clothing in the thrift shop," he told them. "Stretch it as far as you can. That's all we can spare for this," Tommy added, looking pointedly at Connor who nodded. "Kira," he began.

"I got it Dr. O. Black," she added. Tommy nodded and handed her a note he'd written back at the cabin with his sizes on it. She accepted it with a nod.

"Alright," Tommy said. "Connor, I'll be on your left as soon as you reach the other end of the park."

"Right Dr. O," Connor replied, and the four teens watched their teacher go invisible. Connor sighed and took up the lead, his friends following him out of the woods and into the sunshine. Now that they knew where and when they were, the oddities of the day before were clearer, although no less disturbing. In fact the four teens were even more uncomfortable, feeling very out of place in a mid-1990s society, especially now that they were around people again.

With Tommy's directions, the teenagers were able to reach the thrift store without incident. There was a bench outside where he told the teens he'd wait for them. The shopping center had a metal clock in the middle, so he added that they had an hour. It was eleven thirty at that point, so if they weren't back by twelve thirty, he was coming in after them, and he was pretty sure they wouldn't like that. The teens had expressed their understanding, promising not to be late, and walked into the store.

The clerk greeted them, but otherwise left the four teenagers alone. The teens split up, the boys toward one side of the store, Kira toward the other. Like most thrift stores, the racks of clothing were sorted by color, which made this shopping much more simple.

Thirty minutes later, Kira and Trent browsed the racks side by side. They'd both picked out, tried on and paid for plenty of items for themselves, and were currently completing Kira's assignment of outfitting their black ranger, not that he'd be seen all that much. Still, he had to have something else to wear, as they couldn't constantly wash his clothing, and eventually he'd start to stink. Connor and Ethan had finished their shopping as well, all their clothing paid for and bagged, and were checking out the vintage video games while they waited on their teammates to finish up. Satisfied that they had enough for Tommy, Kira led the way toward the counter.

Trent wasn't looking at Kira, and didn't notice that she'd begun to head to the register. Instead he had cast his eyes over toward the home goods section of the store where two teenagers were harassing an old woman. The larger of the two was rather plump. He wore his hair pulled tightly against his scalp and into a short pony tail behind his head. Blue jeans and black leather motorcycle style boots adorned his lower body, while he wore a purple t-shirt under a black leather jacket on top. His companion wore grey cargo pants, army surplus style boots, and a thick black leather belt around his middle. His top was a button down camouflage colored shirt with the sleeves ripped off and the arm holes fraying. He wore a leather spiked collar around his neck and a bright red beret on his head. Trent took a few more steps back into the clothing racks, trying to get closer to the teenagers to see if he could stop them. The old woman between them was clearly frightened.

"What do you think of these?" She asked, as they passed a display adorned with digital watches, being advertised at a dollar each. Each of the watches had a black face and rubber wrist bands. They were definitely cheaply made.

"Yeah sure," Trent replied, glancing back at her when she heard him speak. "I'll meet you outside," he added. Kira followed his gaze, then shrugged, leaving him to do what he'd like. She grabbed five of the watches, each with a different colored band, and took her stuff to the register. The clerk seemed preoccupied with the same teens as Trent, so as soon as Kira had finished paying, the woman picked up the phone and began to dial.

Kira smiled a goodbye and went to round up Connor and Ethan. It didn't take her too long to find them. Reaching the red and blue rangers, Kira came to a stop. "You two ready to go?" she asked. "Dr. O will be in here in about twenty minutes."

"We've got plenty of time," Ethan responded, although he wasn't fully listening. He was itching to purchase some of the games he saw. A few of them would be worth big bucks if he could get them back to their present.

"Don't both Kira," Connor told her with a laugh. "I've been trying to get him to leave for the last ten minutes."

"Speaking of minutes," Kira reached into the smallest bag in her hand and pulled out three watches. One with a red band, one with blue, and one with yellow. "I got us these. Since our phones don't work, and we broke our watches in the blast, I figured it'd be useful to know what time it is."

"Thanks," Connor replied, taking the red and blue ones from her. He extended the blue one to Ethan, who paused briefly in his pursuit of video games to fix it to his wrist while Connor and Kira did the same. "No more telling time by sunlight," Connor laughed as the bell at the front of the store tinkled letting the store know someone had just entered.

Slightly worried that Tommy had gotten bored a bit early and had decided to come in and drag them all out of there, the three teenagers looked up towards the sound. They all sighed in relief when they noticed that it hadn't been a door opening on its own, but rather two officers entering. The store clerk went up to them, talking very fast but in a low voice. Connor and Ethan turned their attention back to the video games, but Kira continued to watch.

The clerk disappeared into the back room of the store, while the two officers made a bee line straight for the teenagers Trent had been preoccupied with earlier.

"What day of the week is it?" Kira hissed at Conner and Ethan. She sensed something was wrong. Something not according to plan was going to happen. Her eyes darted back and forth from the officers to the teenagers and to the racks of clothing trying to spot Trent. She didn't see him.

"Sunday," Ethan replied. "At least I think," he added, looking up and following Kira's line of sight.

"Those don't look like regular police officers," Kira told the boys. Connor frowned, while Ethan shook his head. The officers were saying something to the teenage boys, and an old woman was hurrying away from them. Kira and her friends didn't look away as the door tinkled again indicating that the woman had left the store.

"They're not," Ethan confirmed. "I think they're truant officers. I'm beginning to think it's not Sunday"

"Truant?" Connor asked, not really liking the sound of that.

"As in skipping school. They're responsible for rounding up students who aren't in school when they're supposed to be," Ethan whispered hurriedly to his friends. "We need to get out of here now."

"Too late," Kira told him. One of the officers looked over his shoulder and spotted the teenagers. He said something to his partner and pointed at Kira, Connor, and Ethan. Now, the second officer was walking straight towards them. Kira frantically searched for Trent. She saw him step out of the clothing racks behind the officer. Using as much of her eyes and facial expressions as she dared, Kira made eye contact and willed him to understand that he needed to stay there. Trent frowned, but just as the first officer turned to start walking the two bullies out of the store, she watched Trent blend in with his surroundings. Kira sighed in relief as Trent went nearly as invisible as Tommy had the day before.

"How can we help you officers," Connor's voice brought back Kira's attention. She could tell he was trying to keep the panic out of it.

"Don't give me that kid," the officer replied. "You know why I'm here."

"I'm afraid I can't say I do. We're not from around here," Ethan added in.

"Likely story," the officer answered, clearly not believing the three teenagers.

"It's true officer. We're visiting on a field trip from Reefside, honest. Our teacher gave us a break," Kira explained.

"You'll have to come with me to precinct to confirm that story," the officer told them, gesturing to the teenagers to lead the way out. Shoulders drooping, Connor took the lead, searching his brain for a way out of this. They couldn't just run from a cop. He might be able to get away, but Kira and Ethan weren't a guarantee. He couldn't leave them alone. And even if they did escape, they'd have to stay out of sight for the rest of the time they were there like Tommy, but they didn't have the power of invisibility or camouflage to help. It'd be easier said than done. So for the time being, Connor led his team out of the thrift shop and to the truant officers vehicle. The other office was no longer there. The officer unlocked the car and held the back door open. Ethan and Kira slid into the back seat. Connor hesitated for a moment, scanning the area where Tommy was supposed to be waiting for them. He didn't see his teacher, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. Quickly, he mouthed the word "help", before ducking down in the back seat of the car. The officer shut the door, circled around the car, climbed in the front, and drove off.

As soon as the car was gone, Trent emerged from inside the thrift shop and ran over to the bench where they'd left Tommy. "Dr. O, Conn-".

"I saw," Tommy replied quietly. Trent couldn't see him, but he was shaking his head, clearly feeling hopeless. "They were truant officers. Guess it's not the weekend." Trent shrugged in response, worry clearly written all over his face. "Come on, we'll have to go down to the precinct. That's where they'll take them. And we'll both have to keep out of sight."

"You have a plan?" Trent asked him.

"No," Tommy replied, and then proceeded to give the teenager directions, as he couldn't very well follow an invisible man.

* * *

Connor, Ethan, and Kira sat on hard plastic chairs across from a giant wooden desk of the truant officer who'd brought them into the precinct. The desk chair on the opposite side was empty at the moment, the officer having stepped out of his office to help his partner with something for a moment.

"What do we do now?" Kira hissed at Connor. Their leader just shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm working on it," he whispered back. Kira just frowned and crossed her arms over her chest, sinking back into her chair since she'd had to lean forward around Ethan between them to speak to Connor. As she did, the officer who'd taken them in walked back into the office. He took a seat in his chair and wheeled it closer to the desk. The officer typed a few things on the keyboard of the computer in front of him, and then looked up at the teenagers.

"Now, do you want to tell me the truth?"

"We did," Connor sighed, casting a look at Ethan and Kira. He was the leader. Getting them out of this was his responsibility. But at the moment, there was only one thing he could think of to do. He met the officer's gaze with a steady one of his own. "We're visiting from Reefside High school with our teacher." It was practically the truth.

The officer typed on the keyboard again, frowning at the computer. "And what is this teacher's name?"

"Dr. O," Ethan blurted out. The officer frowned at him.

"That's not a name," but he began typing none the less. "The only doctor at Reefside high is a Dr. Margret O'dell who teaches science," the officer muttered.

"O'dell, that's what I was going to say, but you cut me off," Ethan lied.

"We're looking for fossils out in the desert," Kira provided. They'd gotten lucky with the name, but she wasn't sure how much longer their luck would hold out. The officer didn't look completely convinced.

"Names?" the officer asked them. "Last, then first please."

Connor sighed. There was no avoiding this. He shifted in his seat slightly so he could see officer's computer monitor. "McKnight, Connor"

"James, Ethan."

"Ford, Kira."

After each of their names, the office had resumed typing on the computer. His face showed surprise at each one. "Well, you do exist in the Reefside school system database, but," the officer stated as he moved the mouse cursor so that it was hovering over Kira's name. One click and the file would reveal that Kira was currently an eight year old third grader.

"Officer Carmichael," another officer knocked on the open office door and stuck his head in. "Sorry to disturb you, but we're having some trouble with Farkas and Eugene. We could use your help."

The officer at his desk, nodded. "I'll be right there Stewart," he replied. The second officer nodded and walked off. Officer Carmichael sighed and looked up at the teens. "Alright, your story checks out. But don't get into any trouble while you're here," he told the teens. "You're free to go." He clicked the close button the computer screen, and stood up to indicate the kids could leave.

"Just like that?" Connor asked. Ethan hit him.

"Thank you," Ethan said as he and his teammates stood up, Connor rubbing the sore spot on his arm from where Ethan had hit him. Kira whispered a quiet thanks as well, and the three bolted from the office, and out of the precinct as fast as they could.

Hitting the pavement outside, Kira glanced down at the watch she now wore, glad that she had thought to make that purchase. The display read 12:43. She and her teammates searched the area trying to find something familiar from the last two days. Unfortunately, they had no idea where they were, and they were beginning to get strange looks again.

"What now?" Ethan asked Connor. The teen in red glared at him.

"We've got to find Dr. O and Trent," he replied, rubbing his arm. "That hurt you know," he added. Ethan just smirked.

"Over there," Kira interrupted them, pointing a bit away in the distance. About a block away from the precinct, a teenager in white was jogging towards them.

"Guys! You're ok!" Trent called out, waving to them. Kira waved back, large smile on her face. It was such a relief.

"For now at least," Kira told him, when he'd finally reached them. He instantly hugged Kira around the shoulders. "Unless Officer Carmichael decides to investigate a bit further, we should be ok."

"How'd you get out of there? I thought for sure we were done for."

"We told the truth. Luckily there was a Doctor with a last name of O teaching at Reefside high school in 1995," Ethan laughed.

"And," Connor stated, "that our names showed up in the school system. One more click and we were done for. If he'd opened one of our files, it would have shown third graders."

"I really don't know how we could have explained that," Kira laughed, handing her bag to Trent who had his hand outstretched.

"Dr. O with you?" Ethan asked Trent. The teen nodded.

"Right here," came a voice just behind them. All four teens jumped slightly. "Good job you three. Now what do you say we get off the street?"

"Agreed," all four teens stated at the same time laughing.

"Dr. O, I'm hungry. Can we get lunch?" Connor asked. Kira burst out laughing, while Ethan and Trent just shook their heads. Kira was sure she heard the sound of Tommy's hand smacking his own forehead.

"Yes Connor, we can get lunch."

* * *

I'm enjoying how this is turning out. I hope you all are too. Not sure how long I'll be able to keep up a steady stream of chapters. But I am happy I got bit by the writing bug again.

Reviews appreciated.


	5. Chapter 5

Next two chapters. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

Roughly two hours later, Tommy found himself seated back in the recliner of his uncle's cabin, wearing a new set of clothing – a black t-shirt and a pair of grey shorts. The teenagers all sat around the dining room table, finishing up the fast food lunch he'd bought them and then nuked in the microwave after the hour trek back through the woods. Connor was in pair of pale blue sweat pants and a tight red shirt while Ethan wore a white t-shirt, with a navy blue jean vest over it and his pants the lighter shade than Connor's. Trent was dressed similar to Tommy, but his shorts were a dark navy cloth, and his t-shirt was white. Kira wore a collared, button down yellow shirt with no sleeves, and a pair of high waisted white jean shorts. After they'd left the precinct, Tommy had insisted that they do the food shopping as quickly and as inconspicuously as possible. The three boys sat outside on the bench with him, while Kira did the shopping. Everything went smoothly, and once under the cover of the woods, Tommy was finally able to be visible again. He was starting to feel like had while his invisibility was stuck in overdrive. It wasn't pleasant. As soon as they'd gotten back, they'd all changed into some of that mornings purchases before eating lunch.

"Any idea what we do now Dr. O?" Kira asked him. Trent had offered to clean up, while the other three migrated into the living room, taking seats around their teacher.

"For now, our best hope would be Chronosaurus," Tommy replied. "But even then, I'm not sure we just wouldn't end up future in the past." The teens nodded in agreement. Finding the creature that had sent them there in the first place was probably their best bet for at least a starting point.

"Well, we're not going to find him sitting around here," Connor stated.

Tommy looked down at the watch he was wearing. Kira had given him and Trent theirs, black and white respectively, once they'd made it back to the cabin. "Almost three o'clock," he told them. "School should be out well before we make it back to town." They'd passed a news stand earlier, and determined that it was only now Thursday afternoon. "You up for the hour commute back? We've been doing a lot of running and walking lately. Not to mention the blast yesterday."

"We're good, Dr. O," Ethan told him.

"Besides, like Connor said, we won't find anything here," Trent agreed. Tommy nodded, and once more the dino thunder team left cabin.

As they neared the edge of the woods almost an hour later, Tommy shifted into invisibility once more. Connor stuck his head out first to make sure no one would notice the teens coming and going so often from the same point. Frowning, he stepped out into the park. There was no one there.

"Dr. O? Does this seem strange to you?" he asked. It certainly didn't seem normal, but then again, maybe four pm on a Friday was some weird siesta time for the people of Angel Grove.

"I don't like this," Tommy replied from somewhere behind the four teenagers. At that moment, the group heard what sounded like some kind of argument and children screaming.

"This way," Connor told his team, acting on instinct, instead of thinking things through. Ethan, Kira, and Trent followed his command, shifting slightly into their ranger mindset and letting Connor take the lead. Tommy followed behind them.

It didn't take them long to find the source of the commotion. The dino thunder teenagers skidded to a halt at the top of a hill just on the edge of the woods. Down below them was a set of playground equipment. Four small children were scattered across it, all crying and screaming. The oldest was maybe six. In a ring around it were teenagers and adults, all shouting comfort and encouragement to the kids, but none could reach them. Separating the grown population from the children were roughly twenty or so strange black bird like creatures. The things were the size of grown adults, with black feathers covering their bodies. Their large beaks were short and hook like, similar to those of a parrot. Each wore some type of purple armor vest that extended over their entire torso, along with purple leather bo

"What are those?" Trent asked, trying to process exactly what it was he was seeing. Connor, Kira, and Ethan shrugged, as clueless as he was.

"Tenga warriors," Tommy's voice told them. He didn't worry about being quiet. The area was so noisy, there wasn't much worry that he'd be overheard. "Come on, let's go. The rangers will be here soon," he stated, turning to leave.

"But what if they're not," Connor retorted, standing his ground. Tommy sighed and allowed his invisibility to power down. No one had noticed them up on the hill, all of the attention was on the tengas below.

"Connor," Tommy began, running his hand over his face.

"No Dr. O. These people need help. We don't know when the rangers of this time will show up. Do you?"

"I don't remember this, no," Tommy replied. He sighed, looking at the determined faces of each of the students. "Alright fine. But morph first. And meet me at the youth center when it's over."

"What about you?" Kira asked him.

"You have to help," Connor stated. Tommy looked at him pointedly.

"Is that an order?"

"Umm," Connor hesitated for a moment, then took a few steps closer to their mentor, "Yes, it is," determination written on his face, as if daring Tommy to defy him.

"Alright then," Tommy told him, with a slight nod, and a smirk. "Lead the way."

"Right," Connor stated, turning and looking at the other three teens behind him. "Ready?" They nodded. All five of them twisted their wrists sharply, morphers instantly appearing. For a moment, Connor had been worried that they wouldn't appear. He tried to make a mental note to ask Tommy why that was later, but for that moment, they had work to do. "Dino Thunder, Power Up!" Connor called out. He, Ethan, and Kira each flipped up the dino plates on their morphers and pressed the correct morph button. Tommy placed the key for his morpher inside and gave it a twist. Meanwhile, Trent called out "White Ranger, Dino Power!" He completed his morph with a quick push of the button.

Nodding to his team, Connor ran down the hill toward the tengas, the other four Dino Thunder rangers right behind him. As they reached the crowd, Connor called "Excuse me," despite the fact that he actually decided to leap over the crowd and land within the circle directly in front of a tenga. Startled, the crowd had parted to let the other four rangers through.

"We should get them away from the kids," Tommy called out to Connor.

"Right," he stated, turning his attention off the black ranger and back onto the bird things. They really were hideous. "This way feather brains. Can't catch me," he taunted, and took off running at normal ranger speed.

Behind his visor, Tommy watched as all twenty of the dim witted tengas gave chase. Trent, Kira and Ethan were giving him questioning looks, to which Tommy just shrugged, before following after Connor and the tengas. Ethan and Trent were right behind him. Kira paused a moment to look over the crowd.

"You should take the kids and get out of here," she told them, before also dashing off after her teammates and the tengas. She caught up to them in the middle of an open field. It didn't seem that the tengas had any problems fighting against rangers they clearly didn't recognized. Each of her teammates was currently surrounded by several of the creatures, both sides doing their best to knock out the other. Kira surveyed the situation for a moment, deciding that of all of them, the Tommy was fairing the best, but Connor and Trent were both adequately holding their own. Deciding that Ethan would benefit the most from her help, Kira ran towards him, leaping and landing inside the circle of tengas around him. "Cover your ears," she stated simply. Ethan, dropped to a low crouch and did as she commanded, gloved hands covering the area his ears would have been within the helmet. Kira's ptera scream took out the five tengas he'd been battling easily.

"Thanks," Ethan told her. Kira nodded, leaning over slightly trying to catch her breath. She'd put a little too much power behind the scream, not being sure how much force she actually needed to take on the things.

"Won't be doing that again for a while," she told him, her voice sounding slightly hoarse, as they moved to join Connor in hand to hand combat.

"They just keep coming," Connor told them when they reached his side, knocking one to the ground with a low roundhouse kick. Ethan and Kira just nodded, delivering kicks of their own. All three tengas immediately returned to their feet, albeit they were moving a bit slower.

After a while, not counting the five tengas Kira whipped out with her scream, the dino thunder rangers had taken down six more for good, one for each of the teens, and two for Tommy. It was at that point, Tommy heard a familiar voice, concealed above the crest of the hill his current team had run down shout "Ninja Ranger Power Now!"

"They're here," he called out to his teammates, hoping they could make a quick exit.

"What?" Connor called back, not having quite heard him. He was a little busy trying to take on two of the remaining nine tengas.

"Never mind," Tommy called back out. The six Angel Grove rangers had just summited the hill and surly spotted them. Ethan, Kira, Trent, and Connor glanced up towards the hill stunned to see six rangers clad in loose ninja pants and tops. Each wore a cloth mask over their entire face, covering everything except their eyes. Hoods covered their heads, cloth gloves on their hands. Each ranger had a cloth breast plate adorned with a golden seal in the center. The pink and yellow rangers' breast plates continued into a slight fringe below their waist. Each breast plate had tiny extension over the shoulders adorned with diamond patterns, white for the five colored rangers, and black for the white ranger. Their wrist guards and shin high boots had the same patterns. Their outfits were finished off with sashes around their waists, white again for the colored rangers, while the white ranger's was black.

"What is that?" Connor called out to Tommy, being struck in the back by one of the tengas, clearly he wasn't expecting non-fully morphed rangers. The jolt knocked him out of his stupor. The other three teens, not wanting the same result had already shifted their attention back on to the bird creatures. Tommy followed Connor's line of sight to the rangers. He saw them pause for a moment, the white ranger in the lead. They must have been surprised to see five unknown rangers battling the tengas. Still, no matter how hard he thought, Tommy couldn't recall ever seeing the dino thunder rangers. It also didn't surprise him that the white ninja ranger got over the shock within only a moment and had resumed the lead down the hill.

"Ninja Ranger Power," Tommy replied to Connor simply as if it was the most evident thing in the world. He was going to explain more, but the ninja rangers had almost reached them.

"Want a hand?" the white ninja ranger had called out the moment they'd reached the open field.

"It'd be nice," was Conner's reply from between three tengas. The white ninja ranger jumped and landed in the circle with him, immediately assuming a fight stance. Connor nodded a thanks. And at that point both teams began to fight side by side for the first time, instinctively falling into battle groups, somewhat by color.

Kira, who'd had two of the stupid creatures circling her found herself thankful for the addition of the yellow and pink ninja rangers. The blue ninja ranger joined Ethan to make it two on one, while the red joined Trent against his two tengas, evening the odds.

Tommy did a complex jump, spin, and kick into his tenga, sending it flying backwards, and spinning into the waiting fist of the black ninja ranger. "Hello," the ranger taunted the tenga, who squaked in response. The ninja ranger drew back his arm and hit the tenga square in the beak as he stated simply "Goodbye". The tenga dropped to the ground like a sack of bricks and stayed there. At the sound of his friends voice, Tommy had paused, still crouched in his landing position, eyes cast up to meet those of the black ninja ranger. "Nice kick." Tommy could practically hear the smile and genuine appreciation in the ranger's voice. Rather than respond, he just nodded, terrified his voice would be recognized.

With the arrival of the ninja rangers, all eleven made quick work of the remaining tengas. Connor and the white ninja ranger's fists made contact with the last two at the same time, sending them dropping to the ground. Instantly, all 20 prone bird-man bodies disappeared, and both teams of rangers jogged towards their respective leaders.

"I guess we should thank you," the white ninja ranger started, his team nodding behind him, "for taking on the tengas until we could get here."

The dino thunder rangers didn't reply. Instead they all cast questioning looks, not at Connor, but at Tommy, who merely nodded in answer to their silent question.

"Uh…" Connor began, having received permission to speak. He ran his gloved hand over the back of his helmet. "You're welcome, I guess," he stated. All four teenagers kept shooting looks over to the black ranger, who threw his hands up in the air in exasperation, before remembering he too was being watched by the ninja rangers. Giving up, Tommy just tapped his wrist, as if to indicate time. "Uh… I think we need to be going," Connor stated, and the other three teenagers nodded. Tommy jerked his head in the direction of the hill.

"Bye," Ethan, Kira, and Trent stated as one, and began to race back up the hill.

"Wait," the white ninja ranger called out, reaching his hand forward and moving as if to stop them. Both Connor and Tommy stepped in front of him and the rest of the ninja rangers to prevent their pursuit. Tommy sent a silent prayer that the ninja rangers would be satisfied with him and Connor and wouldn't use their powers to try and follow the other three dino rangers, giving them time to find a hiding place to demorph.

"Listen," Connor started, "we can't have you following us." Tommy stood beside him, arms crossed over his chest, trying to look as menacing as possible. He shook his head back and forth.

"But…" the white ninja ranger tried to protest.

"Sorry," Connor stated, cutting him off. He glanced in the direction his team had run. They were nowhere in sight. Satisfied that they were safe, he sighed and turned his attention to Tommy and the ninja rangers. "Time to go," he stated simply, and using his speed, he took off running in the same direction of his team, leaving the ninja rangers to stare dumbfounded after him for a second before they all shifted their attention to Tommy.

"Please?" the white ninja ranger once again tried to start. Tommy shook his finger at him, shaking his head to indicate 'no' as well. If the situation weren't so dangerous, he'd probably have been laughing at how ridiculous it all was. He put his finger to his lips in a silencing motion. And then he disappeared.

"He's gone!" The red ninja ranger shouted, lunging forward. Tommy dodged to the side, feeling the wind from the red ninja ranger's hand swipe. Trying to suppress his laugher, he took off at a jog towards the youth center, hoping that the teens would think to meet him there.

The white ninja ranger sighed, and shook his head, turning to face his five teammates. "Let's go back to the Command Center and see if Zordon figured anything out." The five colored rangers nodded, and they all teleported out.

As soon as they reached the command center, all six rangers removed their hoods, but remained mostly morphed.

"Welcome Rangers," the small robot called Alpha greeted the teenagers when they arrived.

"Zordon, Alpha," Tommy called, walking from their landing point towards the front of the Command Center. "Did you find anything out?"

 _ **Unfortunately not, Tommy,**_ Zordon, a greyish green head in a tube, replied. _**However the strange fluctuation in the morphing grid remained in place while you were gone. It only just ended a moment before you teleported back.**_

Tommy nodded, frowning. He didn't like not knowing anything about the strange group of rangers. About an hour after school had ended, he and the others had been at the youth center, when Zordon had summoned them all to the Command Center. On the viewing globe, they'd seen tenga warriors circling a group of children on the playground. But what made the matter truly strange was that a group of five rangers had appeared and suddenly led Lord Zedd's lackeys away.

"There might not be any new information," Billy began, while Kimberly put her hand on Tommy's shoulder trying to comfort him, "but I'm pretty sure the five new rangers have something to do with the five weird power readings Zordon detected yesterday."

 _ **My thoughts exactly, Billy.**_ Zordon confirmed. _**Behold the viewing globe.**_

All six teenagers moved so that they were standing around the viewing globe and could each see. Zordon had Alpha replay the battle for the rangers to watch. For the first time, the rangers had the chance to really observe the five unknown individuals. Firstly, they matched them color for color, except pink. Three of their uniforms were nearly identical, save for color and helmet design. The red, blue, and yellow rangers all wore suits in their ranger colors, with white diamonds down their arms starting from their shoulders and extending to their wrists. Their solid colored gloves were cuffed in gold. Similar to the diamonds on their upper body, the same patter was continued down their legs, starting at their hips. The pattern disappear as the legs of their suits disappeared into shin high boots boarded at the top in gold. Each wore a gold belt. Their chests were emblazoned with a gold dinosaur foot print in a black circle, rimmed in gold. The yellow ranger bore a skirt around her hips. The red ranger's helmet resembled that of a tyrannosaurus, the blue ranger's a triceratops, and the yellow ranger's a pterodactyl, similar in design to the helmets of the Angel Grove red, blue, and pink rangers. The forth ranger's uniform was similar in design, with only a few slight differences. The black ranger's diamonds were gold, where his teammates where white. He also bore gold shoulder armor. His helmet was harder to identify, but Billy mentioned the word brachiosaurus. The white ranger's uniform was more different than it was similar. While most of his suit was white, there were large slanted spike shaped triangles patterned down his arms and legs. The gold rim on his boots was shaped like a V. He was missing the golden dinosaur track in the middle of his chest. Instead he wore a shoulder and chest armor with the same black spike pattern, trimmed in gold. While the other rangers' visors were black, the white ranger's visor was red. Not even Billy could tell them the name of the dinosaur his helmet resembled.

Tommy and his team watched the battle, start to finish. Four of the rangers seemed surprised when the ninja rangers, showed up, but the black ranger's body language never changed. Finally, the battle ended, and they watched the five rangers depart. The black ranger's sudden disappearance still surprised them, even though they were seeing it a second time.

"They're powerful fighters," Aisha commented.

Kimberly nodded her agreement. "I just hope they're allies," she added.

"They were today," Tommy reminded the two girls.

"You know what's strange," Adam muttered. He wasn't speaking loud enough to really be talking to anyone in particular. When he realized his entire time, and Alpha and Zordon were looking at him, he continued. "The black ranger's kick. I've only seen one other person use a move like that. It wasn't a simple kick."

"Who?" Rocky asked him.

"Tommy."

"Adam," Tommy told him. "Other people can practice."

"I know that," Adam told him. "It's just a little strange," he added. "I'm well aware you can't be in to places at once."

"Zordon, what do you think about those teenagers who showed up yesterday," Rocky asked their mentor.

 _ **I'm not sure, Rocky. Perhaps it is just a coincidence that they have shown up at the same time as our new friends. But perhaps not. Alpha and I will try to keep an eye them.**_

"So there are new rangers in town," Kimberly stated. "But for now, that's all we know. They didn't even want to talk to us."

"Anyone get a clear signal who the leader was?" Billy asked. His friends shook their heads.

"I thought it was the red ranger," Tommy told them. "But after the battle…"

"They kept deferring to the black ranger," Rocky finished. "Not that he contributed to the conversation at all."

"Maybe he can't speak," Kimberly suggested, shrugging her shoulders. "Stranger things have happened."

"I guess," Tommy told her. "Zordon, you'll keep us posted if you learn anything?"

 _ **Of course, Tommy. Now go.**_ Tommy nodded in response.

"Let's go everyone, I could use a workout after that. I've still got energy," he laughed. His teammates nodded and together they teleported out of the command center.

* * *

Connor sat at a table in the middle of the youth center sipping on a smootie. He'd left the battle almost ten minutes before, having reached the youth center less than a minute after, and demorphing behind a dumpster. Now, he was getting bored, waiting on his four teammates, while slowly giving himself a brain freeze.

"Connor!" Ethan's voice reached him, drawing his attention to the entrance. Connor reached a hand up and waved. Trent and Kira followed him over to Connor's table.

"How'd you buy the smoothie?" Trent asked him.

"Had a little of Dr. O's twenty left," Connor retorted. "Ow." He exclaimed when something hit him in the back of the head. "Did you have to bring him with you," Connor grumbled, rubbing the sore spot. His teammates laughed at him and shrugged.

"How long you been here?" Ethan asked him.

"About ten minutes," Connor laughed. "You're slow." Their mood was light. It always was after they kicked ass. Something about the adrenaline rush. The battle, coupled with desperately trying to protect their identities, had given them some kind of euphoric high.

"Not all of us can run as fast as you Connor," Kira told him, coughing slightly. Her voice sounded hoarse.

"I'm getting you water," Trent told her. She smiled up at him in thanks as he wandered away.

"You alright?" Connor asked her. Kira nodded.

"I put too much into the ptera scream. I'll be alright though," Kira told him quietly. Connor nodded.

"Have the rangers shown up?" Ethan asked keeping his voice low. Connor shook his head.

"They're taking a while," he told Ethan and Kira. "It's got me worried."

"Don't be," a voice whispered from nearby. "They wouldn't have come straight here. They'd have gone back to the Command Center. New rangers showing up is going to be cause for alarm. But it's early yet, they'll be here."

"And will you?" Kira asked Tommy who was currently at the table behind them, but staying invisible.

"I won't leave you guys alone," Tommy told them, "but Connor, you've got to take leadership. Even when they can see me," he stressed. Connor just nodded, sucking on his smoothie.

Trent returned a few moments later, handing Ethan and Kira each a cup of water. He had a third for himself that he set down on the table.

"I'm going to go check out the arcade games," Ethan stated, producing a few quarters from his pocket. He was fairly sure he heard Tommy growl something about ungrateful teenagers abusing his money, as he wandered away.

"Don't leave the youth center," Connor told him. Ethan waved acknowledgement, as he went. Trent fell into the seat on the other side of Kira. She leaned her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes, and drinking the nice cold water through her straw. Conner and Trent traded quiet jabs and insults back and forth, which were actually cryptic complements about how the battle had gone. Tommy quietly listened, along with Kira. If he closed his eyes as well, he could almost forget he wasn't back in Reefside, sitting in Cyberspace after a successful battle. His thoughts were interrupted by the familiar sounds of laughter entering the youth center, and Tommy looked up to see himself leading his friends in. Yep, that was what was preventing him from forgetting, he thought to himself.

"Hey Tommy!" Connor called out. They'd discussed not avoiding the other teens so as not to arouse more suspicion, but the invisible man was still startled to hear the greeting emerge from the red dino thunder ranger. This situation was really beginning to get old.

"Connor," the teen called back waving with a smile. The six teenagers were all dressed in sweats of varying styles, each predominantly consisting of their ranger colors. Tommy led his team over to the three teenagers at the table. "Where's Ethan?" he asked.

"Oh," Connor laughed. "Video games. He's missing his own from back home." That one was definitely not a lie.

"You guys work out?" Rocky asked the teens, as Kimberly, Aisha, and Billy sat down in chairs.

"A bit," Trent confirmed, with a nod. "Nothing like what you guys were doing yesterday," he added in. Which wasn't completely the truth.

"Want to go a few rounds?" Adam asked them.

The two dino thunder boys paused for a minute, waiting from an argument against it from their invisible mentor. After a second, with no sign that it would not be advised, Connor smiled. "Sure," he stated. Trent nodded. "Kira you coming?"

Kira shook her head and croaked out a hoarse "no". Frowning, she took another sip of her water, letting the cool liquid coat her throat. Connor and Trent nodded and followed Tommy, Rocky, and Adam down to the mats.

"Are you feeling better Kira?" Aisha asked the other yellow clad ranger.

"Much better. My throat's just sore," she explained. Thinking on it a bit, it was actually quite a good thing that she'd gotten sick the day before, as it meant she had a good cover for why her voice was hoarse that afternoon.

"How'd your dig go?" Billy asked her.

"Oh," she paused, thinking for a moment, "not great. Didn't find anything. I think our teacher's going to give us tomorrow off."

"That's great," Kimberly told her. Kira nodded. Slowly the three Angel Grove rangers drifted into conversation with each other. Kira excused herself and wandered off to join Ethan. This unfortunately meant that the adult version of Tommy was now trapped in the corner, invisible, by three of his old high school friends, in a time when they were still in high school, and he wasn't. Based on the positioning of the chairs and the tables, there was no way he could get out without attracting attention, so he just sat back and pouted, pretty sure this had happened because his teenage teammates had forgotten about him.

"So, what do you think?" Kimberly asked Billy and Aisha as soon as Kira was gone. They were looking at Connor and Trent who were sparring against Tommy and Rocky with Adam acting as referee.

"Not sure what to think," Aisha told her.

"But it is a little suspicious," Billy added. The girls looked at him. "Think about it. They suddenly stated showing up here around the same time that Zordon got those energy readings."

"Billy, you're starting to sound like Rocky," Aisha told him, a small smile on her face. Connor and Trent were holding their own against Tommy and Rocky, which sort of surprised them.

"Hear me out," Billy continued. "Rocky did think he saw someone with them yesterday. I might have seen something, but I can't say it was a person, and I wouldn't have thought anything else of it, except that the black ranger disappeared today." He paused, frowning. "Did you hear that?"

The version of Tommy sitting just at the table behind them cursed himself for reacting too loudly. He should have thought of another escape plan from the battle earlier, but he hadn't thought anyone really believed Rocky had seen something. After his quick disappearing act the day before, it wasn't surprising that Billy had caught on. Both girls were shaking their heads no, answering Billy's question in the negative, so no one else had heard him gasp.

"Anyway, it's clear that those rangers have some powers we've never seen before. The red one can run, I mean really run. And the black one…"

"Can disappear into thin air," Kimberly stated, glancing around her, suddenly feeling like she was being watched. Tommy shook his head. There was no way she could sense him, but watching her panic was slightly adorable.

"Who knows what other powers the other three might have," Aisha added in.

"Yeah," Billy stated. Casting his eyes back onto the teenagers at the mat. Adam was frowning at the four, clearly in deep thought also. The four sparring teens were sweating profusely. Not one of them had hit the ground yet. "Not many people can match Tommy and Rocky in stamina," Billy commented, frowning as well. Adam looked over at him and caught his eye.

Now it was Tommy's turn to panic. In all the chaos, he'd forgotten how observant Billy was. Especially when he had others around to talk his ideas out. He hadn't thought it was a bad idea to let Connor and Trent practice. In fact, he almost thought they might learn something, and for once he technically didn't have to be the bad guy to make them do it. But now, he was regretting that decision. He had to make the sparing match stop, but he was trapped.

"Is it possible," Kimberly began, "that maybe you and Rocky weren't seeing things? Maybe there was a fifth, and these rangers can activate their powers out of morph?"

Kimberly's comment was too close to comfort, being as it was exactly right. Panicking, Tommy did the only thing he could. He jumped over the table he'd been sitting at, knocking several chairs over in the process, and sprinted towards the teens at the mat.

"What was that?" Aisha shouted, as she, Billy, and Kimberly, jumped in surprise, eyes diverted away from the sparing match and toward the now empty corner, and the chairs that were rolling back and forth on the floor.

Kimberly and Billy just looked back up at her, speechless.


	6. Chapter 6

Despite hearing Aisha shout, Tommy didn't even look back as he sprinted as fast as he could, nearly knocking into a few people, and tripping over his own feet as he rushed to reach the sparring mats and the four exhausted power rangers. He was desperately trying to determine what to do, having not fully formulated a plan. He didn't even notice that the commotion at the table had brought both Ethan and Kira back into the room. Both teenagers were frowning, faces slightly drained of color at the area where they'd left their science teacher slightly earlier.

Granted, Tommy's small tableside catastrophe hadn't been large enough to break the concentration of the rangers, although Adam had glanced over for a moment. Tommy was sure the black ranger was beginning to suspect something was off about Connor and Trent.

Tommy reached the mats, just as a piece of a plan registered in his mind. He couldn't do anything about himself or Rocky, but despite the fact that all four were good, he was better. Weaving in and out between the four fighters, Tommy finally got close enough to Trent during an opening. Using a similar move to the one Adam had noticed during the fight with the tengas, Tommy kicked Trent's legs out from under him, and flipped himself over so he was using his body to press Trent's to the ground. He leaned over and placed his mouth near his teammate's ear. "Stay down," he hissed, fear, anger, paranoia seeping into his voice. Trent groaned in pain, but gave the tiniest of nods, and the pressure on his chest immediately dissipated. "And here I thought my day would end on a good note," Tommy muttered nearly silently to himself. He swiftly moved away from Trent, dodging in and out of the remaining three sparing individuals. For a brief second, his face almost collided, with his own fist. He mentally promised himself he would laugh at the fact that he had almost knocked himself out later, as he ducked beneath the punch. Sliding onto his side on the ground, Tommy grabbed both sides of Connor's right leg and twisted, jerking the teenager off his feet. The teen fell to the ground, hitting his head against the mat, as the wind was knocked out of his lungs. In the chaos of the fight, no one had noticed that it really wasn't the other two teenagers who'd taken Connor and Trent out. Tommy didn't immediately let go of Connor's leg, worried the teen's pride would enable him to get back up. Only when he noticed himself and Rocky offering hands down to help the two teens to their feet, did he let go, and move as quickly as he dared away from the group.

"That was amazing," the teenage Tommy said with a smile, as he pulled Connor back onto his feet. Connor rubbed a large knot on the back of his head. Rocky just nodded his agreement.

"I've never seen anyone last that long against these two," Adam told them, handing the four sweat soaked teenagers each a towel.

Trent shrugged, but Conner grinned in response. "We have a good teacher," he explained. "I'm sure he'll be glad to hear we got in some practice while we were away." Trent nodded agreement. Apparently not even Connor knew it wasn't Rocky or the teenage Tommy who had brought him down.

"I think it might be time for us to leave," Trent stated. "I need a shower," he stated, trying to find a plausible explanation. The three teenagers nodded.

"Thanks for the match," Rocky told him, grinning and extending his hand, which Trent took.

"Anytime," he muttered, although at present he was pretty sure that wasn't true. "Connor, you coming?"

"In a second," Connor told him. Trent frowned at him for a moment, but nodded. He handed Adam back the towel with a quiet thanks, before heading out of the building. Kira, noticing he was upset, called a goodbye to the others and took off after them.

"They're close," Tommy stated to Connor, nodding towards the retreating figures of Trent and Kira. Connor nodded in response, as Ethan made his way back over to the tables.

"They're not official," Connor replied, "if you know what I mean, but it's inevitable." He picked his smoothie back up off the table and took a long drink off of it. "That's better," he laughed.

"Connor, Trent was right, we need to get going. It's almost five o'clock," Ethan told his friend. He didn't like the looks he was getting from Billy, Aisha, and Kimberly. The time really had nothing to do with it, but Connor was being difficult. The red clad teen looked up at him, meeting his eyes. Ethan did his best with silent communication. Luckily, it seemed Connor decided to pick up on telepathy at that moment. He looked away and nodded.

"You're right. We'll be in trouble if we're not back in time for dinner," Connor lied. "Thanks for the match," he added to Tommy and Rocky. The two teenagers smiled and nodded.

"We need to get going as well," Tommy told him. Connor gave a brief nod. "We promised we'd be back this evening to help set up the Junior Police Patrol Art Benefit, and I could use a shower too." His friends all nodded. "See you around?"

"Later," Connor and Ethan called back with a nod, Connor letting Ethan lead him out of the youth center. As soon as they got out, they noticed Trent and Kira standing off to the side. Trent had a slight red glow to his face, as if he was embarrassed.

"Dr. O?" Ethan asked Kira.

"He's here," she replied before she started walking towards the park. Trent, Connor, and Ethan fell into step beside her.

"Dude," Connor whispered to Trent. "You look like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar."

"Dude," Trent imitated, "Shut it. Dr. O's pissed."

"Shut up, both of you," Tommy's voice hissed from behind them.

The moment they reached the cover of the trees, Tommy powered down, shaking himself off a little. He was scared and frustrated, and being invisible had only added to his anxiety. He glanced over his shoulder at the four teenagers stumbling along behind him, and felt slightly guilty for taking his fear out on Trent. He hadn't meant to yell at either of the teenagers, but his fear had just made him snap. Sighing, he led the way back to the cabin.

"What's everyone want for dinner?" he asked, letting the kids into the cabin. No one answered. "Not hungry?"

"Dr. O," Kira stated, "what just happened back there?"

Tommy sighed and sank into the recliner that was quickly becoming his spot. "We were close to being exposed," he told the teens, who stared at him, dumbfounded. "Trent, I'm sorry for snapping at you. I freaked." Trent gave him a quick nod, apology accepted.

"How?" Ethan asked him.

"Billy's far from stupid," he told the teenagers. "He and Rocky saw me disappear yesterday, and obviously again today," he stated, leaning forward and rubbing his face with his hands. "And when Connor and Trent didn't lose easily, he started piecing it together."

"How did we lose, by the way? I don't remember being hit," Connor stated. Tommy smirked at him. "You? Dude, that's low."

"So were we _almost_ exposed," Ethan asked Tommy, "or _were_ we exposed?"

"I don't know yet," Tommy stated. He sighed, and stood up, starting to pace around the room. "Maybe, possibly. It depends on how much I want to listen to Billy right now."

"Huh?"

"Billy won't bring his suspicions up to the whole group yet. He'll wait to talk to, well, my younger self alone. If I listen to him, then yeah, we're probably exposed."

"And if you don't?" Kira asked.

Tommy shrugged. "We'll need to be way more careful moving forward." He sat back down. "I'm talking you four can't visit the youth center anymore, at least not as a group of four. No more sparing," Tommy told them. Connor opened his mouth to interject. "Not going to happen Connor. They know what to expect from you. You won't be able to fake it."

"Ok, Dr. O," Trent stated. "So assuming we are exposed, what happens now? They just going to track us down and call us out in public?"

Tommy shook his head, thinking about it. "They'd out themselves. No. They'll wait until they can get us alone. Even then, there's not a whole lot they can do about your four. I think we convinced them we're allies yesterday, so they won't attack. But they'll be following us. I can't guarantee they won't track us here. We'll be forced to interact with them, more than I'd like."

"We said we'd cross that bridge when we came to it," Trent told him. Tommy nodded.

"It's just, anything we do here can impact the future. Destroy it."

"We know Dr. O," Kira told him. "But you still don't remember any of this. And for now, we're all still here." Kira gave her wrist a sharp twist, morpher materializing. "Power's still here too." Tommy smiled at her, his adrenaline rush starting to fade. He nodded.

"Speaking of power, how come we're able to morph when technically, our power hasn't been discovered yet?" Connor asked, remembering the promise he'd made himself earlier.

"It's hard to explain," Tommy told him, leaning forward, elbows on his knees, hands clasped in front of him. "The morphing grid exists outside of time and space, as we understand it. Once a power is discovered, it joins the morphing grid, and can thus be accessed by any rangers who have the knowledge and capability of harnessing it, no matter where, or when they exist." All four teens were staring at him again. Tommy sighed and laughed. "I'll ask a time force ranger to explain it to you when we get back," he informed them. "Maybe Wes could do a better job." He studied the teenagers in front of him. "Alright, so I'm not sure how much peace and quiet we're going to get now that the rangers are beginning to piece together your identities, so let's enjoy it while we can. I'll repeat, what do you all want for dinner?"

* * *

Back at the youth center, Tommy had just arrived with Aisha. He'd met up with her outside after going home to change.

"That was some sparing match you had earlier," Aisha commented, as they walked in.

"You're telling me," Tommy laughed. "My muscles are sore."

"You think there's anything about them they're not telling us?"

"Connor and Trent?" he paused in thought for a moment. "Nah. They're good, I think," he added, nodding up ahead to Kimberly who was in the middle of the youth center, staring down at the floor.

"Hey Kim," Aisha called out. She didn't show to have heard her. Frowning, Tommy took his hand and waved it in front of Kimberly's face.

"Anybody home?" he asked.

Kimberly snapped out of it, and turned to look at Tommy and Aisha. "Oh, hey guys, what's up?" she asked, smiling. Tommy sensed something was bothering her. He shoved his hands in his pockets, and gave her a reassuring smile.

"You really zoned out. You ok?" he told her. Kimberly turned away again. That wasn't good. He didn't like the look on her face.

"Well, I have good news, and I have bad news."

"I always like the good news first," Aisha told her best friend, looking back and forth between Tommy and Kim.

"Ok, my mom is engaged to be married to a French painter," she told them with a genuine smile. Both Aisha and Tommy smiled, sure that Kimberly was pleased with that aspect of things. Still, Tommy knew she hadn't said what was bothering her.

"Congratulations," Aisha told her, putting her arm around her friend in a hug. Kimberly leaned in and pointed a bit away from them where a man and woman stood with a painting.

"See, that's him over there. He's showing the painting he's donating for the benefit," she explained. Aisha and Tommy recognized the woman with him as Kimberly's mother.

"Oh la la, he's kinda cute," Aisha laughed.

"Yeah," Kimberly replied, stepping away from her friends. "He's really nice," she added as she caught her mom's eyes and gave her a small wave, still smiling. "I like him a lot," she added. Her voice was tinged with a bit of regret. Tommy sensed whatever was bothering her, he wasn't going to like.

"So what's the problem?" he asked with a slight shrug of his shoulders, attempting to seem nonchalant about it.

"Well," Kimberly paused, not sure how to go on, "he lives in Paris." She turned back to face her friends, smile slowly fading. "Mom says that we're all moving there. For good." She turned back towards her mom and her new fiancé, before walking off towards them, leaving Aisha and Tommy behind. Tommy looked like he'd been punched in the gut, hard. Aisha peered up at him.

"This sucks."

"Tell me about it," he grumbled in response. Aisha bit her bottom lip, eyes down cast. "Her mom can't do this right?"

"Tommy," Aisha warned. "You're not going to make it any easier on her." Tommy shook his head, sighing. Aisha was right. Kim was already distraught enough. He didn't need to add his misery at the announcement to that. "Listen, maybe together we can all come up with something. We can meet at the park tomorrow before school."

"I guess you're right," Tommy replied, running his hand over the back of his head. Aisha nodded, and hugged his arm.

"We'll figure something out. Look, there's Rocky and Adam. I'll go let them know," she stated, leaving Tommy on his own as she walked away.

"Hey Tommy," he heard a voice call from behind him as Aisha joined their other friends. He turned to see Billy heading towards him. "You got a minute?"

"Yeah, sure Billy, what's up?" he said, still slightly distracted.

"It's about those guys from Reefside," he began. Tommy groaned.

"First Rocky, then Aisha, now you too," he grumbled, and sighed. "Alright, what's up? Don't you like them?"

"It's not that I don't like them," Billy stated as both teenagers moved to help with the set up for the benefit. Tables had to be rearranged. They both lifted one of the tables to move it off to the side together. "I just don't think I trust them," he stated as they set the table down in its new location.

"Listen Billy, can this wait?" Tommy asked him. "I've got a lot on my mind."

"What's wrong?" Billy asked him, studying his friend. Billy had known him the longest, next to Kimberly. Tommy sighed. "It has to do with Kim?" His friend nodded in response. "Tell me," Billy encouraged.

"Her mom got engaged, and now they're all moving to Paris. Billy, that's in France!"

"I'm aware of where Paris is, Tommy," Billy told him, not harshly. The news was definitely unsettling. "Still," he paused, "Kim can't be happy about it."

"She's not," Tommy agreed. "Aisha's having us all meet up at the park tomorrow before school. She thinks together we can figure out something. But for the life of me, I can't think of anything. Billy, I can't lose her."

"We'll think of a way," Billy assured him. "Come on, that table needs to be moved."

* * *

"Why'd we have to get up so early?" Connor complained. He and his teammates were trekking the woods, Tommy still visible, Kira carrying a brown and green back pack.

"You wanted to work out," the older man told him. "The rangers will be in school, so now's the safest time." He turned to look at Connor. "And no sparing. Only weights," he added.

"We promise," Trent confirmed as they neared the park. A familiar cawing sound could be heard. The five ran toward the edge of the woods, emerging into the park, and searching for the sound. "There," Trent pointed to the sky as five tengas were flying off. Tommy frowned after them.

"Power Down!" they heard a shout from nearby.

"Crap," Tommy muttered, instantly shifting into invisibility. Trent stepped back into the woods, blending in with the trees as he did so. Connor, Kira, and Ethan ducked into the trees, as all five moved towards the sounds of the rangers. Connor spotted them first, and pointed them out to his own teammates. Tommy, Adam, Aisha, Rocky and Billy stood in front, Kimberly behind them against a tree. She had her hand to her head as if she were woozy. The other's ran to her.

"You alright?" the teenage Tommy asked her, leaning against the tree beside her. "What happened?"

"I must have blacked out. I don't even remember how I got free from the tengas," she told her friends stepping away from the tree. Her friends followed her.

"Wonder what Rita and Zedd wanted?" Adam asked his friends. The six were scanning the area as if they still expected danger.

"Well, they didn't send those bird brains down here to play a game of tag," Rocky answered. His friends nodding, still scanning the area.

"Come on," Tommy told them. "There's nothing else here. We'll be late for school otherwise."

"Right," the other five replied as they all headed to a nearby table to pick up back packs and books they'd left there. The teens in the trees watched as Tommy gathered his own, then took Kimberly's books from her, slinging his free arm over her shoulder as the teenagers walked away. Once the six were out of sight, Connor emerged from the woods with Kira and Ethan on either side. Trent slowly materialized beside Kira, and Tommy let down his invisibility near Ethan.

"Thought you said they'd be in school?" Connor asked his mentor. Tommy shrugged, still frowning.

"Do you think we should help?" Kira asked, looking around. She had to agree with the other rangers. The enemy normally didn't attack for absolutely no reason at all.

"No," Tommy told her. "I vaguely remember this. They've got to handle it on their own."

"But Dr. O," Ethan started. Connor cut him off.

"Dr. O's right Ethan,'' he interjected. "We can't interfere with events that have already happened. We can't be sure if we did any damage yesterday. I say, as long as it looks like the rangers have things under control, we stay out of it."

"Alright," Ethan, Kira, and Trent replied.

"So, youth center?" Trent asked. Connor and Tommy both nodded. The older ranger slipped back into invisibility and the dino thunder team headed toward their destination.

For once, their day was pretty uneventful. They'd spent the morning getting in some work out. Tommy had relented a little and allowed them to spar, but only with each other. He wouldn't let Connor and Trent go at it, reminding them that they often got too competitive and they couldn't risk showing off. They'd brought sandwiches they'd made from the food bought at the grocery store, sitting at a table half hidden by a column so that Tommy could consume food without anyone noticing that it was floating in midair before disappearing into an invisible mouth and stomach. Tommy even gave Ethan and Kira some more change so they could play some of the arcade games.

"Time to go," he told them, glancing at the clock. It was 3:00pm. The rangers would be getting out of school soon. Without argument, the four teenagers collected themselves and headed toward the exit, noticing a pair of sleeping teenagers beside one of the art easels. Both were dressed in what resembled police officer uniforms. Kira frowned at them as they passed.

"Weren't those the bullies from the thrift store yesterday?" She asked Trent who just shrugged. Kira sighed and let it go, following her friends out the door.

"Well, that was uneventful," she told them as they walked. It felt nice not to be worried about discovery for once. Actually, it was rather nice leaving the youth center without feeling like she was going to be sick.

"Let's keep it that way," Ethan laughed in response.

"Yeah, I just wish Chronosaurus would show himself," Trent muttered. "I'm all for quiet days," he added, "but I'd like to enjoy them in Reefside, oh, in I don't know, 9 years from now."

"Yeah, well, we'll just have to be patient," Connor told him. The teens fell into conversation as they finished the walk to the park. Tommy listened to their chatter, wishing there was something he could contribute that might help them get out of there.

"Dang it," Kira stated as they reached the park. "I forgot the back pack," she added. "I'll go back and get it and meet you at the edge of the woods."

"Kira," Tommy started, "it might not be a good idea." His watch said that it was almost 3:15. It didn't often take the rangers long to make it to the youth center.

"I'll be fine Dr. O," she told him. "And you said we shouldn't always been seen together, so if I'm spotted alone it might help our cause."

There was a long pause before Tommy spoke again. "Alright, go," he told her. Kira nodded and headed back in the direction they'd come in. Footsteps retreating into the park told the three teenage boys that Tommy had started moving again, so they jogged to catch up falling into step with him.

The four male dino thunder rangers reached the edge of the park only a few minutes later, near the table they'd seen the other six rangers at earlier. They were all relaxing around the area, when they started to hear screams, a long ways off.

"It's coming from near the lake," Tommy told them, the three boys jumping to alert. "We said we wouldn't get involved," Tommy's voice added in, sensing that they were itching to morph.

"We can at least investigate?" Ethan asked, looking at Connor. Connor set his mouth in a grim line, but gave him a curt nod in response.

"Investigate only," Connor stated. Trent and Ethan nodded agreement, as did Tommy, though they couldn't see him, and all four ran towards the screaming. As it got louder, Connor spurred himself into power and ran faster, reaching the crest of a small hill before his partners. Down below was a mole like creature with a giant paint brush and wooden artists' pallet. It was dressed in some type of weird cartoonish version of a French painter's outfit. "And I thought our enemies were strange looking," he stated as his friends reached him.

"Artisemole," Tommy stated simply. He was terrorizing the people in the area, but the rangers were nowhere in sight.

"He's going to hurt someone," Trent said, worry in his voice. Beside him, Connor flicked his wrist.

"No interfering," Tommy stated, throwing his left arm out to black Connor and Ethan from advancing down the hill. "Look," he added, nodding in front of him, despite the fact that his teammates couldn't see him, as five colored streaks landed in front Artisemole, and materialized as rangers. Tommy just hoped they didn't look up to the top of the hill. He drew back a little, even though his was quite protected from sight. Connor, Ethan, and Trent sensed his movement and withdrew as well, flattening themselves on their stomachs to watch.

"So that's what they look like fully morphed," Ethan stated. They studied the five rangers. Four of them, yellow, blue, black, and red, wore suits similar to the ones he, Connor, and Kira wore. They too had white diamond patterns on their suits, but instead of on the arms and legs, the patters went across their chests. Their boots and gloves were white, with the diamond pattern replicated on both, however the diamonds here were their ranger colors. Around their waists, each wore a white belt with a gold buckle. The helmets resembled their own, except the mouth guards which were silver, instead of colored. The blue ranger's helmet was similar to his own, sporting the resemblance of a triceratops. The same was true of the match between Connor's tyrannosaurus and the red ranger's. The yellow ranger's helmet incorporated that of a saber-toothed tiger, and the black ranger's bore the design of a mastodon. The fifth ranger's suit was white, and was nearly as different from his teammates as Trent's was from the dino thunder rangers. His suit lacked the diamond pattern across the chest. Instead his chest and shoulders were covered by a black and golden armored vest, with a gold emblem of a tigerzord on it. The cuffs of his white gloves and boots were also gold, as was the belt around his waist. Finally, the front of the white ranger's helmet was done in gold, patterned after a tiger. "Pink ranger's missing," Ethan added. His teammates nodded, surveying the site below them.

"Shh," Tommy hissed, though there really was no worry that the rangers would hear them over Artisemole's laughing.

"Ah, Power Rangers," the creature stated. "You brought me such beautiful colors." He had a horrible imitation of a French accent.

"It's all over mole," the white ranger replied, threatening the thing. "We're going to hang you on the wall."

Connor, Ethan and Trent snorted in laughter at the cheesy line.

"Shut it," was the muttered response from beside them.

"No, no, my brilliant career has just begun."

"Sorry, time to fade to black," the white ranger added.

"Really Dr. O?" Connor laughed. Tommy grumbled, but otherwise didn't retort, keeping his eyes focused below.

"Excellent suggestion little ranger, black it is," Artisemole replied, touching his paint brush to the black paint on his pallet. The paint brush charged with a flash of light. "On guard," he stated, pointing the brush at the rangers and firing. Several explosions hit the rangers, knocking them off their feet.

"We've got to help," Ethan hissed. He, Trent, and Connor made a move to stand up.

"They'll be fine," Tommy stated. "I'm here, aren't I? I remember this. It's nothing new. Leave them to it."

"But," Connor started.

"Leave it," Tommy hissed again, although he did cast a worried eye back to the rangers. It was kind of unsettling watching himself and his friends get hurt, knowing what would happen, and not being able to do a damn thing about it.

"No second rate artist is going to blast the power rangers," the white ranger stated, pushing himself to his feet. Connor, Ethan, and Trent had crouched back down, sensing the severity of Tommy's command. They didn't like not being allowed to help. "I'll take care of this clown myself," the white ranger continued, charging at the mole creature.

"Wait, we gotta do this together," the blue ranger called out, watching his leader leap into the air attempting to deliver a kick that would ordinarily have knocked the creature flying backwards. Instead the white ranger passed through Artisemole, landing and rolling to his feet on the other side.

"I must have gone right though him," the white ranger stated.

"You think," Trent muttered. He couldn't see the death glare Tommy shot at him.

The yellow and black rangers leaped toward Artisemole, fists ready. They too, sailed straight through the creature.

"Pretty weird, huh guys," the white ranger asked them when they landed near him. "We can't even make contact with him."

"Yeah," the black ranger replied, as the three ran back to their other two teammates.

"And now to create my masterpiece," Artisemole laughed. "Rangers in Danger."

"Guys, we really need more help without Kimberly here," the yellow ranger stated. The dino rangers could hear the worry in her voice.

"Aisha's right guys," the white ranger confirmed. "Ninjor we summon you from on high."

"What's a ninjor?" Connor asked when a new voice spoke somewhere above them.

"You have nothing to fear," a strange blue and gold metallic ninja creature stated from where it road in a cloud above them. "Ninjor is here."

"I'm guessing that," Ethan answered Connor, pointing at the thing as it leapt of the cloud to land in front of the power rangers.

"Greetings my young friends," Ninjor told the rangers, walking the last few feet towards them. "So very good to see you again. Can Ninjor be of service to you?"

"Probably not to them thunder thighs, but your shade of blue will look good on my pallet," Artisemole told him.

"I shall remove the irritant," Ninjor stated, pulling out his sword and rushing towards the creature. He struck Artisemole multiple times with his sword, but the thing just cackled with laughter. "This is not really working the way I thought it would." Ninjor stopped his attack to scratch his head in thought. Artisemole took the opportunity to jump and kick Ninjor in the chest, sending him colliding back into the rangers.

"You ok, Ninjor?" the white ranger asked, as the rangers steadied their ally.

"Yes."

"You see what we're up against?"

"I do," Ninjor confirmed, nodding his head.

"Now for the finishing touches!" Artisemole stated. He pointed his brush at the rangers. It glowed for a moment, and suddenly the color disappeared from the rangers and Ninjor. They cried out in pain and sank to their knees. "Not feeling well? You all look so pale," Artisemole taunted.

"Zordon," the white ranger spoke into his wrist, "we need help! We've been drained of our powers."

"Dr. O," Trent hissed. "Can we please help now?" his voice was stressed. All three teenage boys were on their feet in fighting stance, hands curled into fists. They heard their mentor sigh, hoping it was a sign that he was going to give in.

"No," was the calm, cold reply.

* * *

So whenever I write I strive for as much cannon accuracy as possible. The change is Bulk and Skull slipped my mind, so as such there's more of a sudden twist in outfitting and behavior - for which the explanation will deviate from cannon. However, I hope this chapter helps give all the fans a frame of reference for exactly when in 1995 the Dino Rangers have landed.

Also, if you're enjoying, or not, don't be shy. Leave a review. I always reply. Constructive criticism is always welcome.


	7. Chapter 7

"Where on earth have they gone now?" Kira asked herself in irritation. She hadn't been gone more than twenty minutes, and she'd expected to see at least three of the four male individuals on her team waiting for her. However, when she'd arrived at the designated spot, back pack collected and in its rightful location on her back, all four were missing. She spun around a few times, looking around the area for something she had missed.

Footsteps coming towards her caused Kira to jump, and turn around. She spotted Kimberly walking towards her, but the other girl seemed so lost in thought that she didn't notice she wasn't alone. She was mumbling something to herself.

"Oh, let's see," Kimberly muttered, searching the ground as if she'd lost something. "Oh… alright I remember I came here to meet the guys," she stated, a bit louder, "and then those tengas came."

Kira's eye shot open, realizing other girl wouldn't want anyone else to hear what she was talking about. "Kimberly," she called out, shaking the pink clad teenager from her distress. For her part, Kimberly look startled, and a bit shocked to find she wasn't alone. She was kicking herself for talking out loud, but outwardly she smiled and waved.

"Oh, hey Kira," she said pleasantly, but Kira could still see her eyes darting around on the ground.

"You lose something?" Kira asked, knowing it might be important. Kimberly nodded, sighing.

"My watch."

"Let me help you look," Kira suggested. Seeing no alternative, Kimberly accepted the help. Mere moments later six tones rung out in the area where the two teenage girls were searching. But girls jumped, but for different reasons. Kira was startled, while Kimberly was cursing her luck that someone was trying to reach her at that very moment.

Kira was closer to the source, so she stepped toward the tree the girl had been leaning against that morning and found a metal bracelet on the ground. The center was round and speaker like, while the bands of the bracelet were flexible, and garnished in pink. Kira picked it up as Kimberly reached her and handed it to the other girl. "Is this is?" she asked.

"Yeah," Kimberly replied, relief showing on her face as she took it from the girl and put it back on.

"It doesn't look like a watch," Kira protested.

"Uh," Kimberly started, "Billy made it. It's supposed to revolutionize the watch industry. I'm helping him test it," she lied. Kira frowned, sensing there was something about the device that the teenager wasn't telling her. She opened her mouth to say something when the same six tones went off. The girl in pink started to turn a mixture of white and green, as she looked down at the device on her wrist. She was near panicking. It finally dawned on Kira that the strange metallic device eliciting a pattern of beeps must have been the other girl's communicator, and someone was urgently trying to get in touch with her. Kimberly wouldn't risk Kira finding out her identity, which actually meant that Kimberly and her friends hadn't fully figured out Kira's identity either. Taking pity on the other ranger, Kira smiled.

"Well, glad I could help you find it. I've got to be going," she stated, not even waiting for the distressed girl to say goodbye. She walked away as swiftly as she dared, although, as soon as she was clear, she circled back around to listen in on Kim.

"Zordon, I read you," Kira heard Kimberly say, through the trees. She didn't dare peak back out incase Kim was looking in her direction.

 _ **Kimberly, the other rangers are in grave danger**_ , a voice Kira had never heard before came through. Kira remembered from the video on ranger history that she had seen that Zordon was the mentor of this times rangers. He was the alien being who'd given the original five rangers their powers. _**Teleport to the Command Center immediately.**_

"Ok, I'm on my way," Kira heard Kimberly reply. A moment later, a strange sound filled the air and Kira looked up towards it to see a pink streak flying through the air. She opened her eyes in shock, and stepped back out into the small area the pink ranger had just left.

"Well, that explains where Dr. O and the others are. They must have gone to help the other rangers, but where are they?" Kira hissed to herself, pacing back and forth.

A few minutes later, Kira was sitting on the table, her legs pulled up on one of the bench seats when the same strange sound pulled her from her thoughts. Kira gazed up in its direction, watching a pink light streak past her. Deciding her best bet to finding her teammates was to follow it, Kira jumped off the table, slung the back pack on and ran in the direction of the pink streak.

* * *

"Dr. O, please! Isn't there anything we can do?" Connor pleaded. He, Ethan, and Trent were growing more and more distressed as they watched the five rangers and Ninjor, devoid of all color struggle on the ground while a cackling Artisemole danced around them wreaking havoc.

"No Connor," Tommy stated. "It's important that they do this on their own. Bad as the situation may seem, they will be alright," he added, "if Kimberly ever gets here."

"What do you mean if?" Trent asked him.

"She's taking a bit longer than I remember," Tommy replied honestly. Her extended absence was beginning to worry him. He hoped their presence in the current timeline hadn't disrupted the flow of events.

"Dr. O, I'm overriding you if she's not here in two minutes," Connor said angrily. There was no response except what sounded like a defeated sigh. However, at that point, a pink light streaked overhead, settling at the base of the hill behind the Artisemole, and materializing into the pink ranger. Unseen by his teammates, Tommy smiled in relief and sat down, as he'd been standing, pacing nervously at the top of the hill.

"Kimberly," he heard his own voice cry out in pain. Tommy let his eyes settle back on the battle below as Kimberly raced towards the enemy.

"Ha ha, a little pink for my pallet," the alien creature taunted. He aimed his paint brush at her firing several shots, each missing her. The teenage boys beside Tommy had fallen silent, clearly not expecting her to be successful.

Tommy winced, as he watched her leap over Artisemole, kick off of a tree, and be struck by another blast from the paint brush. He knew his teenage self was both in agony from the attack, as well as watching his girlfriend being blasted out of the air.

The pink ranger groaned as she hit the ground, pushing herself to her knees. "I don't like your style," she told the creature.

"Who made you a critic?" Artisemole taunted.

"Kimberly," Ninjor called out to her. "You must not let him fire his brush at you."

"What does he think she's trying to do? Be his human target?" Ethan stated, to no one specifically, slightly angry at the situation. Mostly angry that Tommy wasn't letting them help when the rangers were in danger.

"Ethan," Tommy muttered a warning. The teenage grumbled back but stayed put.

"As if you could stop me," the alien stated, raising his brush into the air and pressing it towards the pink ranger, pinning her to the ground. She grabbed hold of the brush with both hands, pressing it away from her body as she lay on the ground on her back. "I'm going to paint you out."

"Hang on Kimberly," the white ranger called out to her. Invisible Tommy rolled his eyes. What exactly was she supposed to hang on until? She was their last hope. "Remember, you friends are always with you."

"Unless their evil science teacher doesn't let them help," Connor muttered, invisible death glare from said science teacher going unseen, although it most likely would have been ignored anyway. Tommy was a little surprised that in the two days three days since their arrival, the teens were already considering his friends their own.

"You keep out of this," Artisemole retorted to the white ranger. "Time for the brush off," he said, turning his attention fully back to the struggling pink ranger. He raised the brush up and swung it back toward the pink rangers head. Suddenly, the pink ranger swung her hands up to meet the brush.

"Ha," she cried out, startling the alien. She grabbed hold of the brush and tossed Artisemole, connected to the other side, over her head. She rolled and jumped to her feet. When he stood up and taunted her, she leaped at him, landing a solid kick, knocking Artisemole backward.

"Where the heck have you three been," a shout caught the attention of Connor, Ethan, Trent, and Tommy behind them. The four turned to see Kira racing towards them.

"Shhh," Connor hissed at her. "Keep low," he added. Kira frowned, noticing that her teammates weren't in morph. She sank to her hands and knees as she neared the crest of the hill and peered over.

"What did I miss?" she asked them.

"Watching Kimberly save Dr. O's ass," Ethan told her. "Ow!" he hissed, feeling something solid collide with his side when said individual kicked him. He rubbed at it, glaring in the general direction it had come from.

The pink ranger flipped her blaster out of its holster at her side. "So long mole man," she stated. She fired a few blasts aimed at knocking him off his feet.

"Aim for his stomach, Kim," the black ranger called out to her. "It's a big target."

"You've not seen the last of me," Artisemole moaned as the final blast struck him in the chest.

"Hey, hey," the white ranger stated, "something's happening." Color returned to him, the other four rangers, and Ninjor. They struggled to their feet, strength slowly returning. "Oh yeah! Our colors are back!"

"I am reenergized and ready for action," Ninjor stated.

"Alright, we're back, Kimberly did it," the yellow ranger cheered.

"Sorry guys," the pink ranger said, running towards her friends. "Better late than never. Let's make sure that mole's history."

"Damn it," Kira hissed. "She's late because of me," she stated. Her friends looked at her. "I was waiting on you guys when the pink ranger showed up, looking for her missing communicator. I helped her find it, but I didn't know what it was. I think I delayed her a bit."

"It's alright, Kira," Tommy's voice reached her. "The battle went as it should."

Kira's self-pity was cut short as a green and blue bolt of light shot down, striking Artisemole who grew to a massive size. All four teenagers stared in shock. They'd really been hoping things were over.

"I'm back and bigger than ever," the creepy monster shouted. The rangers responded instantly.

"Power Rangers, we need ninja zord power now," they shouted, six voices in one, and began calling in their zords.

"Let's go back to the cabin," Tommy's voice interrupted the teenagers watching the battle.

"But Dr. O," Trent protested.

"You want to stay and risk getting stepped on by a zord? Go for it," Tommy told him. They actually heard his footsteps withdrawing. Ethan, Kira, and Trent looked at Connor who shrugged and stood up, chasing after his teammate. The other three followed suit.

They found Tommy leaning against a tree a few yards into the woods, no longer invisible. His feet were crossed at the ankles, his arms crossed over his chest. His face was tense, but he tried to relax his features as his teammates showed up. He gave them each a weak smile.

"I'm sorry, Dr. O," Kira apologized.

"Nothing to be sorry for Kira. I forgot Kim had lost her communicator and would go looking for it. I should have warned you as soon as I realized what was going on," Tommy told her. "Anyway, no harm done. They'll all be fine."

"We're sorry too," Connor told him. "We shouldn't have argued so much."

Tommy raised his eyebrows in surprise at Connor. Ethan and Trent were nodding their agreement. Tommy laughed slightly.

"It's alright. You did what I've been training you to do. You're rangers, too. I know it was hard just watching," he told them. "Believe me, I know."

Visibily relaxing knowing that their mentor wasn't angry with them, the teenagers laughed.

"Dude, those come backs were terrible," Connor told him.

"Don't push it, Connor," Tommy told him.

"Dr. O," Kira stated. "Can we go back to the youth center? You know, to make sure they're alright?"

Tommy paused and studied her. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to let the rangers see them together, although this time they'd be more relaxed. And since the rangers hadn't seen them recently, it was doubtful they'd be suspect. "Alright," he stated. He kind of wanted to see that they were in deed ok with his own eyes, as well. Kira gave him a smile as he slipped invisible and followed his teammates back out into the park.

About ten minutes later, they were wandering around the youth center, checking out the art work being sold. Connor and Ethan walked past each one pretty quickly, chatting with one another, joking every so often. Kira and Trent were standing off on the side of a brightly colored painting of a mole in a bright blue frame. A man in a blue blazer stood in front of it, adjusting it, while a woman stood off to the side.

"That's, um… different, don't you think?" Kira asked Trent who nodded. They heard a snort of laughter from behind them.

The two teenagers Kira had noticed sleeping on the floor earlier came storming over to the man and woman, their uniforms looking disheveled. Kira raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Hold it right there," the skinny one cried.

"Don't even breathe," his heavy set counterpart added in. "You can't fool two of Angel Grove's best detectives."

"Yeah, or us." They'd approached the man in blue blazer who was giving them both a questioning look as he was joined by the woman nearby.

"Hand over the stolen painting," the heavy teen told them, holding out his hand.

"What do you mean stolen?" the woman asked.

"Pardon me, but my painting's frame was loose. I merely repaired it," the man replied, gesturing to the painting.

"It needs more repair," Kira whispered in a hushed voice.

"Don't be mean," Trent laughed, smiling and leading her off to a table nearby where Ethan and Connor had seated themselves while the man and woman continued their conversation with the teenage patrol officers. A fifth chair slid up a bit, indicating the presence of the invisible Tommy.

"There," Trent stated, nodding his hair towards a girl in pink coming down the stairs toward the couple as the teenagers left. Kira, Connor, and Trent watched as Kimberly made her way over.

"That's her mom," Tommy whispered. "We had good timing," he added, watching as Kimberly began conversing with her mother and soon to be step-dad. "Kim's mom told her last night that they're moving to Paris." The look he was getting used to seeing on the teenagers face appeared again. "The rangers have been too preoccupied to think about us."

"How can you be so nonchalant about Kimberly moving?" Ethan hissed.

"What about the rangers?" Kira added.

"Oh, relax. Here come's Aisha. She found a solution," Tommy told them. Again, looks of surprise and confusion. Tommy laughed. "Kim's going to move in with Aisha," he told them, watching as Aisha and Kimberly hugged, laughing.

Arm in arm, the teenage girls waved goodbye to their parents as the adults began talking to each other, clearly discussing the logistics of such a housing situation. The girls approached the four teenagers at the table. "Hey guys," they stated at the same time, giggling. Kira resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Up until they got all giggly, she really liked the other female rangers. "I never really thanked you for earlier Kira," Kimberly told her. "I really owe you one."

"No problem. I know how it feels to lose something important," Kira replied. Kimberly nodded. "Where are the others?" Kira asked, looking around.

"We're not always together," Aisha laughed. "Unlike you four," she added. The four teens answered with nervous smiles. Tommy winced, unseen, to the accusation in the girl's voice. It felt weird referring to her as a girl, even if it was in his head.

"Stop teasing, Aisha," Kimberly said, her smile never fading. "Art's not really their thing," she told the teenagers. "We're hanging out in the park tomorrow. A picnic lunch by the lake if you want to come."

"That sounds like fun," Ethan told her.

"Yeah, we'll see if our teacher will give us another day off the dig. It is Saturday after all," Connor stated, stressing the word Saturday for Tommy specifically. It took all the self-control Tommy had not to hit the teenager in the back of his head.

Both girls nodded, and waved goodbye, heading out of the youth center together. As soon as they left, Tommy hit Connor, who winced.

"Satisfied?" He asked the teenagers, who nodded. "Good. I'm tired. I want a day of no running tomorrow," he moved the chair as he stood up, leading the teenagers back out of the youth center.

"Dr. O? Can we go to the picnic tomorrow?" Kira stated as they walked. Tommy groaned.

"We'll see," he answered, sighing.

* * *

The sun was nearing its noon peak the following day as the four teenagers from Reefside walked along the edge of the lake where they'd watched the rangers battle Artisemole the day before. The area was surprising empty, but there were a few people around. Ethan and Connor walked up front, while Kira and Trent walked side by side behind them, not in hand but with fingers touching each other lightly. Conversation was pretty light and casual. Each of the teens was dressed in comfortable outdoor clothing for early spring in California, 90s fashion, and their respective colors. Looking at them, they appeared like any other group of teenagers in 1995 enjoying a Saturday afternoon.

However, their conversation shifted slightly, and to someone listening it would definitely not have been normal.

"What do you think Haley's doing right now?" Trent asked. Now that there was some down time, their tech was on their minds.

Kira shrugged in response.

"Probably going crazy trying to find us," Ethan stated, wincing as he thought about it. When they'd brought her up to Tommy earlier he'd been pretty relaxed about it. The way he saw it, assuming they could get back, they would probably arrive in their own time shortly, or even right before they had even left, meaning Haley would never have had to look for them. And assuming they couldn't get back, there really wasn't any good in worrying over it.

"At least she knows we're alive," Connor added into the conversation. He paused. "I miss my cell phone," he stated.

"I miss video games," Ethan put in with a laugh. Kira and Trent laughed as well, shaking their heads.

Connor turned so he was walking backwards beside Ethan, facing Kira and Trent. "So Kira," he started, "how'd you get the old fossil to let us come today?" He tripped backwards over something in his path and went crashing down to the ground, landing hard on his butt. Ethan and Trent doubled over laughing. Kira smirked as Connor looked around for the rock, or root, or branch he'd tripped over, and failing to find anything.

"I told him he could come," Kira laughed, watching Connor grumble as a fourth set of laughter joined in at his misery. She reached down to the red clad teen, offering her hand to help him up. Connor took it, still glaring at her.

"You could have warned me," he complained.

"Oh man," Ethan cried, wiping tears out of his eyes. "That was priceless. Good one, Dr. O," he stated.

"Thanks," was the one word response from the invisible man.

"I hate you all," Connor hissed as they resumed their walk. After a few minute of quiet, interspaced with bits of giggling at Connor's expense, the teens drew to a stop. "What time do you think they'll all be-". His question was cut off as the group suddenly found themselves surrounded by tengas.

"What the hell," Trent shouted. He and his teammates immediately fell into defensive stances, hands curling into fists. Above the din of the cawing from the creepy bird creatures they heard the screams of the local populace as they raced away. Obviously when it wasn't children in danger, the locals abandoned the threat in favor of every man for himself, confident that their heroes would take care of the problem and rescue the targets of the alien invasion. Within moments the five were alone, and Tommy allowed himself to come out of invisibility.

"Dr. O? What's going on? You remember this? Anything happen the day after Artisemole?" Kira hissed, whipping her head to follow the circling tengas. She counted ten, maybe more. They wouldn't hold still.

"Nope." Tommy replied to her.

"I know you've got that whole 'no interfering' rule," Connor stated, "but how do you feel about self-defense?"

"Morph first, they're too strong for hand to hand combat."

"Gotcha," the four teens replied, deferring to Connor as he shouted their morphing cry.

Meanwhile, the local populace that had run from the site the moment the tengas appeared crested the hill bordering the lake and began to run down the other side, passing two teenagers who were walking in the opposite direction – as in toward the lake. One was a boy clad in blue, with circular glasses, while the second was a girl clad in pink, carrying a picnic basket. Confused looks on their face, Billy grabbed hold of a woman that was running towards them. "What's happening?" he asked her.

"There's things… by the lake," she yelled. Billy let her go and looked at Kimberly who dropped the picnic basket.

"Watch out for the feet," a shout reached their ears. Billy frowned, concern written on his face.

"That sounded like Tommy!" he told Kim who nodded.

"The others must need help," she added. Both teenagers raced toward the lake, fighting their way through the opposing individuals. Billy paused; shocked at what he saw when he reached the top. Kimberly stopped when she caught up to him, surprise on her face as well. "What the?"

The scene in front of them was not what they'd expected. Instead of finding four ninja morphed rangers battling tengas beside the lake, their view was of five fully morphed rangers battling tengas, four of which lay prone on the ground. The other six took on the rangers. Yellow and blue tag teamed one, while black and red each took on one individually. That left three circling the black ranger, who darted in and out with ease. Even in the moment of hesitation on Billy and Kimberly's part, the five rangers knocked out two more, the freed up rangers moving to help their teammates. Kimberly made a motion as if to morph, but Billy put a hand on her shoulder instead.

"They've got it under control," he said quietly, ducking down so he wouldn't be seen. Maybe this was a chance to find out who, or at least what, the other five rangers were. Kimberly frowned, but followed his lead. Within minutes, the five rangers were down to three tengas, all trapped within a circle by them. Suddenly four of the rangers dropped to their knees, hands over their ears. The yellow ranger leaned forward, arms thrown behind her. Suddenly she screamed, a sonic blast radiating out. Even from a distance, Billy and Kimberly winced, slapping their own hands over their ears. When the sound stopped, they gazed down to find the last remaining bird creatures on the ground. All ten bodies disappeared, and the five rangers regrouped together.

"Everyone ok?" the red ranger asked them. The other for nodded and answered in the affirmative.

"They purposely attacked us," the yellow ranger stated. "Why?" The yellow, red, blue, and white rangers looked towards the black ranger who shrugged his shoulders. The rangers were standing in a circle. The black and white rangers were standing with their backs mostly toward the hill, while the red ranger had the lake to his back.

"Power down," the rangers stated, de-morphing. Billy and Kim looked at each other, eyes wide, and then stood up.

"We were definitely the target," Tommy stated to his teammates. "But I don't understand why."

"It doesn't make any sense," Trent told him. "Who else besides Chronosaurus knows we're here?"

"Somehow the enemies of this time, Rita and Zedd, have found out," Tommy replied, concern on his face.

"Do you think they know exactly who they are?" Ethan asked. Tommy placed his hands over his face in thought but shook his head.

"Um," Connor stated, eyes going wide. He was standing opposite Tommy and Trent, with Ethan to his left, and Kira to his right. "We have a problem," he finished, pointing directly behind Tommy.

Frowning, Tommy turned, at the same time as Trent. He heard Kira beside him gasp. "Oh, fuck!"

Two feet or so away from him stood Billy and Kimberly, both whose eyes shot wide open at the sight of their own ranger leader in front of them. Billy's mouth dropped open slightly, as his brow furrowed in confusion. Kimberly fainted and Tommy lunged forward, catching the teenage girl and preventing her from hitting the ground.

* * *

Ok, so I know I normally give you two chapters at once, but the ending of this one is just so perfect, that I want to let it sit a while. Let you all imagine how the next bit is going to go now that Tommy's identity has been exposed. But, don't worry, Chapter 8 is fully written and I will post it late this afternoon/evening, so you don't have to wait to long.

Please, if you're still enjoying, Review. I love to hear your thoughts and comments. They motivate me to keep going.

Thanks,

Fateless


	8. Chapter 8

As promised. Here's chapter 8. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

Eyes following the only adult of the group to the ground, Billy's mouth opened and closed like a fish as he fought to find some type of word in his vocabulary to express his feelings at the moment. Unfortunately, that was proving to be a losing battle. His eyes started darting back and forth between the teenagers standing in front of him and the man cradling his passed out teammate. The moment was bringing back a huge amount of déjà vu. This wasn't the first time he'd seen Tommy catch Kimberly after she'd fainted. Except the last time, he'd been in uniform, long hair settled over his shoulders. Now, he appeared older, with shorter hair, wearing mostly black. Billy watched as he gently placed the girl on the ground, and then stood up to meet Billy's own gaze.

"How?" Billy was able to choke out, glancing down at Kimberly, and back towards the man. He frowned at the black clad individual. He was growing more and more certain that the man in front of him was Tommy.

"Long story," the man replied, a bit of inflection in his voice as if he wasn't sure it was the right answer. He ran his hand through his hair, and glanced back over his shoulders at Kira, Connor, Ethan, and Trent. The four teens were in shock. Billy followed his gaze. Their identities he was positive of. In fact, he hadn't even been all that surprised when he'd seen Connor's face when they'd powered down. His suspicion had been strong enough to prevent that shock to his system. It was only the black ranger's identity that was making him feel lost and helpless. The black ranger sighed, turning back to face Billy. "Billy?" he asked. The teenager looked up and met his gaze. "You with me man?" The teenager gulped, but nodded slowly. Tommy put his hand on the teen's shoulder. "You sure?" Again Billy nodded. "It's not safe here," Tommy told him. "Can you ask Zordon to teleport us all to the Command Center. We can explain there." The damage was done the moment Billy and Kimberly saw him. There was no sense in delaying the inevitable any longer. In truth, Tommy had always suspected he might need to reveal himself if they were every going to make it back to their present.

"Uh yeah," Billy stated. He was pretty sure there was no immediate danger, nor would there be in bringing the group to the Command Center. He watched as Tommy knelt back down to check on Kimberly. Tommy glanced up at him, and then to the communicator at his wrist. Billy followed his gaze and snapped out of his stupor. He brought his wrist up to his mouth and pressed a button. "Zordon?"

 _ **Go ahead Blue Ranger.**_

"Uh, can you, um… can you lock on to my location and teleport Kimberly and the five individuals with me to the Command Center. Um… and have Alpha contact Rocky and the others to have them meet us there?"

 _ **Affirmative, Billy.**_ _**Are you alright?**_

"I think so," the teenager confirmed. A moment later seven streaks of light zoomed through the air, one pink, one blue, one white, and four greys.

Shortly after, the streaks materialized into seven people in the center of a very different looking space. At least it was way more unusual than anything Connor and his teenage teammates had ever seen before. All four teens swayed as they landed, Ethan's legs going weak and collapsing underneath him. All four of them looked slightly pale and green beneath their respective skin tones.

"I don't want to do that again," he complained, as Connor helped him up. Tommy had his back turned to him and the rest of the space, running his fingers over the consoles near where Kimberly's body lay. He studied the steady rise and fall of her chest. The dino thunder teens gazed around, taking in everything. The brightly lit consoles were nothing compared to the strange red, blue, and yellow robot creature walking toward them, but all four went paler when the caught sight of the giant head floating in a tube between two columns ringed with glowing lights.

 _ **Billy**_ , the head spoke, _**can you please introduce us to your friends**_.

"Um," Billy blinked stepping forward into the center of the Command Center, the four teenagers following him slowly. "These are the other rangers we encountered," Billy stated, not sure where to begin. "Connor McKnight, Ethan James, Trent Mercer, Kira Ford, and…" his voice gave out as he glanced back over his shoulder at the one individual who hadn't come forward. The man was still staring at Kimberly and the consoles, caressing the buttons like they were something precious. "Zordon, I'm not sure-"

"Yes you are Billy," the man spoke to him again. Each time, familiarity reverberated in the teenager's head. "You've been sure since you laid eyes on me," he added, walking over to the center of Command Center.

"Ai yi yi yi yi…" the robot spoke suddenly catching sight of him and spazing out in panic. Billy watched the man grin and laugh.

"Hi Alpha," he stated simply, walking into the light and stopping directly in front of Zordon. He looked up and met the alien's eyes with a steady gaze.

 _ **White Ranger**_ Zordon stated simply. No surprise, no anger, no emotion in his voice.

Tommy shook his head, a sad smile on his face. "No Zordon, I haven't been that in a very long time."

 _ **Tommy then.**_ Tommy nodded. _**Welcome home my friend.**_

"It's good to be here," he sighed, listening to the sound of teleportation landing behind him.

"Zordon, Billy," he heard his own voice say, knowing his teenage self was now holding the still unconscious pink ranger's hand. "What happened?"

"Ugh my head," Kimberly's voice said. Of course she'd wake up when her boyfriend arrived. The adult version of Tommy rolled his eyes and tried not to let anyone over hear his snicker. The rest of the dino thunder teens were still too stunned by everything to make any sound, but they followed the conversation back and forth with their eyes.

"Hey Beautiful," the teenage Tommy said, helping Kimberly sit up and climb off the console. His smile faded when Kimberly frowned at him, reaching forward and running her fingers across his face, confusion etched on her features. She peered around him, letting her gaze fall on Billy, Connor, Ethan, Trent, and Kira. Billy nodded, answering her silent question. "Are you alright?" teenage Tommy asked her concern evident on his face and in his voice. Kimberly looked back at him and shook her head no. He turned to look at Billy and the teenage guests, frowning. He released his hold on Kimberly and walked towards Billy, Adam and Rocky flanking him, while Aisha wrapped her arms around the visibly shaken Kimberly. She followed the boys on her team with her eyes. "You were right?" Tommy asked Billy.

"Yeah," Billy answered his leaders question simply; words were not his strong suit at the moment. Realizing Tommy was waiting for an explanation. "Kimberly and I heard a battle in the park. When we ran over, we saw them taking down a group of tengas. We waited until they demorphed." Tommy gave him a curt nod, and then looked over the four teenagers in front of him. He looked upset for a moment, but he let an easy smile take its place a moment later. He stepped up to Connor and extended his hand forward. Beside him, Rocky was smiling as well, laughter in his eyes, and Adam was smirking, arms crossed over his chest.

"I know you would have preferred your identities remain a secret, but, it is nice to meet you," Tommy told him. Connor, not trusting his voice, nodded and reached forward, clasping the teenage version of his mentor's hand. Tommy peered over his shoulder. "That your fifth?" Connor turned to follow his line of sight, landing on the back of the man standing in the center of the Command Center, gazing around and taking in everything. He turned back to the teenager and nodded again. Tommy stepped around him, studying the back of the man with the short spiked hair. Adam and Rocky stayed behind that time, but Billy moved to follow his leader. "It's a lot to take in, I know. You'll get your bearings after a bit," Tommy spoke. "I'm Tommy Oli-"

"I know," his own voice responded from the man, who slowly turned and very satirical smile on his face. The whole situation was so absolutely ridiculous, it was taking all the older man's self-control not to break down into hysterics. He knew every emotion etched on the teens face as he processed what he saw before him, running through shock, confusion, non-belief, and stun. "If you don't breathe," he told the teenager, "you'll pass out like Kim did." The teenager blinked several times, but he did begin to inhale and exhale as he'd be reminded to do so. "And close your mouth. You're making us look stupid."

"How?"

"Billy asked the same question, but I didn't want to explain more than once," the man told the teenager. He turned his attention to the other teenagers standing behind himself. "I'm sure you all want to know the same thing?"

Billy and Kimberly still looked a little sick, almost as if they were seeing a ghost. Aisha and Adam looked confused, and Rocky looked shocked. But all five nodded. Connor, Ethan, Kira, and Trent looked like they might pass out.

"You four should sit down," the older version of Tommy told his current team. For the first time ever, they didn't question him, but plopped down on the ground, backs leaning against the consoles for support. "It gets easier with practice," he told them, indicating the teleportation sickness it seemed like they were all suffering from. Satisfied that they weren't going to fall over, Tommy smiled at them. "Connor, ok if I explain this one?" The red clad teenager raised his hand in the air, not opening his eyes which he had shut tightly and waved to his mentor to continue. Tommy nodded his head. "Alright then, let me see where to start." He shifted his attention back to Zordon, Alpha, and the six teenagers watching him. He sighed and perched himself on one of the consoles, running his hand across it again. He didn't know how much time he'd be there to see it. He never thought he'd get to see it whole again. "I'll tell you everything you need to know," he told them. "But no interruptions," he added, directing that at the teenagers who all nodded, except for himself. "Tommy," he stated, blinking at the strangeness of addressing himself by name, "you too." The teenager set his mouth in a grim line, but nodded.

"Ok then," Tommy began. "The simplest way to explain it is to tell the truth. I'm not a clone," he ticked off. "I'm not an alien, or from an alternate dimension." He tried to think of any other possibilities his younger self was considering but failed to find any. Nodding, he continued. "I am you. An older you, from the future. The year 2004 to be precise. So basically, when you grow up," he laughed, "you're going to be me." The teenagers realized that each of his statements was made looking their leader straight in the face. "Let me see," Tommy stated, counting on his fingers, "about four days ago, in your time, those teens and I were facing off against a mutation from our time. Something in the battle went wrong and a blast knocked us back here. I mean it took us out of our time in Reefside and deposited us in yours here in Angel Grove. We got separated, none of us knowing where, or precisely when we were. It never even occurred to us that we might not be in our own time." He paused, but it seemed like the teenagers were going to keep their promise of not interrupting. "We regrouped at the youth center, but when I spotted Rocky," he stated, nodding his head toward the red clad teenager who looked visibly shaken on being called out, "I panicked and went invisible. So no, Rocko, you're not crazy." The teenager smiled and relaxed a bit. "The teens realized who you all were at that point, and we figured out what had apparently happened to us. We think the mutation may have been sent back in time as well, so we've been biding our time, waiting for it to show itself." Tommy paused and cast his gaze up at Zordon. "It still hasn't." Zordon nodded to him. "I tried to keep them," he stated, jerking his head towards the teenagers slumped in the corner, "out of trouble". Kira who was the only one looking at him, glared and muttered something about a ptera scream. Tommy only laughed at her, making her glare harder, but she was still feeling so woozy she couldn't do anything about it. "But, well, this afternoon shows you how well that turned out. And anyway, that's really about it. Any questions?" The six rangers stared at him. Of course they had questions. They all cast looks at one another, and then suddenly he was bombarded by voices. "Whoa, whoa, slow down. One at a time," he laughed. "I almost forgot you're teenagers."

"The chairs falling over in the youth center on Thursday?" Aisha asked him. Tommy wasn't surprised that she asked him a simple question.

"That was me."

"And when Connor almost said your name on Wednesday?" Billy asked.

"I should not have kicked him."

"Why'd you ask Connor's permission to explain?" Rocky asked him, frowning.

"Connor's the leader of this team, Rocky," he stated simply, with a smile towards the teenager. "A pretty good one at that." The teen gave a weak wave acknowledging the compliment.

The Angel Grove rangers were visibly starting to relax, having clearly accepted Tommy's story as truth. However, he had a sense that they were luring him into a false sense of security with the easy questions.

"Where have you been staying?" Adam asked.

"My uncle has a cabin in the woods. I took the teens there."

"Do you all have weird powers?" Rocky asked.

Tommy laughed. "They're not weird," he defended, but after seeing his teenage friend's look he conceded. "Ok, they're weird. And yes. I can obviously become invisible. Trent's is similar. He can camouflage himself. You saw Conner's speed. Kira can emit a high loud frequency from her vocal cords. We call it a ptera scream. And Ethan, well, let's say, don't hit him if he knows you're going to do so. You'll be in more pain than he would be." The teenagers all smiled at Tommy's response.

"That's so cool," Rocky muttered to Adam who nodded.

"There are only five of you?" Adam asked.

"Four guys, one girl," Tommy stated, indicating Kira. "She's outnumbered by a lot. I have a friend who operates as our tech," he paused. "A little like Alpha," he added in, "but she's human. Her name is Haley. She's probably going nuts trying to locate us."

"Your suits look similar to ours," Aisha hesitated, trying to best formulate her question. Tommy understood though and nodded.

"We harnessed the power of the dinosaurs. Similar to the first powers Zordon granted Billy, Kim, Jason, Trini, and Zack. So the suits are modeled the same."

"You're tied to the morphing grid?" Billy asked. "Those spikes we saw were when you arrived and when you morphed?"

"I guess so," Tommy answered. "We were morphed before we came through the time portal, and we weren't conscious when we arrived, but I'm assuming it's possible we demorphed shortly after hitting the ground. I suspect there may have been fluctuations when we morphed the other day and earlier."

"Well, that explains all of Kira's scrapes and bruises. Two of you landed in the desert" Aisha stated.

Tommy nodded. "Kira and I. Not far from here I guess, now that I think about it. If we'd been any further in, I would have seen the Command Center. I would have known where we were." He left out that he would have known approximately when as well, seeing as the Command Center would actually be destroyed in a few months' time.

"What's a mutation?" Billy asked. "I mean, I know what one is, genetically speaking, but?"

"You mean in the sense that we would be fighting one?" Tommy asked him. "They're pretty much exactly what you think. Genetically mutated creatures. In our case, most are some mutated form of dinosaur experiment gone bad, bent on taking over the world."

"Yeah, that you created," Ethan muttered, head leaning back against the console, legs out in front of him. He cracked one eye open at his mentor.

"I said I was sorry," Tommy called back over.

"You created them?" Billy asked him, casting a look over his shoulder at the white clad teenager with long hair who frowned and shrugged. The man in front of him gave him the same shrug. "Ok, that's weird." The older man laughed, but turned his attention to the only two rangers who hadn't said a word: himself, and the girl in pink, clinging to his arm for dear life. When he'd started his explanation, all the rangers had gathered around closer. He wondered if she was cutting off his circulation and he was just being too gallant to say anything about it.

"I know you've got questions," he stated, addressing himself. The teen sighed and nodded, running his hand over the back of his head.

"I'm still a ranger?" he asked. There it was. The first difficult question, but one he still felt he could answer.

"Yes," Tommy replied. "But not always," he added, knowing the teenager would understand. After all, that's what he'd meant when he asked the question. The teen paused for a moment, taking in the answer. After a moment he nodded again.

"Ok."

"Where are we?" Kimberly suddenly asked. "I mean, in the future. What are we all doing?" The adult version of Tommy winced at her question. Leave it to Kimberly to ask the one question he couldn't and didn't want to answer.

"I can't answer that," he stated, meeting her eyes.

 _ **Tommy**_ Zordon stated, causing both versions to look up at him. Zordon turned his attention to the adult. _**At this point there may be no harm in telling them.**_

"It's not that Zordon," Tommy replied honestly. "I can't tell them the answer, because, well, because the answer is that I honestly…" he paused and looked up at each of the six rangers in turn, his face etched in longing, hurt, and sadness. It was the first time he let those feelings over take him since he'd realized where he was and who they were. It was the first time that he allowed himself to mourn the appearance of the rift that he finally admitted to himself was present between him and the people he'd once known as his best friends. "I honest don't know," he finished, looking up at Zordon. He quickly brushed his eyes with his arm.

The six teenagers were stunned by his response. He didn't know where they were. This future version of the man who was their leader had no idea what any of his best friends were doing in only nine years' time. That was less than a decade, despite that it was half their current life time. What had happened that would cause that change? Tommy sighed. He hated letting them all down like that.

"I know you're all well," he assured them. "And happy," he added in. Truthfully, he did know that much. But aside from Billy, he didn't know exactly where they were each located, or what they were doing. Some of them, he knew were together. Others were with friends they had yet to meet. And he very well couldn't say that Billy had moved to another planet. That would have been too much, and entirely unnecessary for them to understand. "And," he paused, knowing that the last thing he could tell them might give them comfort, but it also might bring them sadness, "none of you are still Rangers." He looked at each of them one by one, knowing the ends were drawing near for each of them, some sooner than others. His eyes lingered longest on Kimberly and Adam. Kim because he knew she would leave the power very soon, and Adam because he would serve the longest beside him. Each of the teenagers finally nodded. He saw himself and Kimberly cast longing looks at one another. Kim tightened her grip around the teenagers arm, and Tommy felt a pang of regret as he watched them interact silently.

 _ **I see, Tommy**_. Again, both individuals looked up at him. The adult version, realizing this, shook his head.

"I guess you can call me Dr. Oliver," he stated, causing the six teenagers to stare at him in surprise, their disappointment not gone or forgotten, but slightly less of a painful forefront idea. He laughed at the way both Billy and Tommy were looking at him. "I have my Ph. D. in Paleontology. They," he jerked his head towards the teenagers, "did tell the truth when they said they were here with their science teacher."

"Science teacher?" Rocky asked, staring at his leader a grin on his face and laugher in his eyes. "This guy?" he pointed at him, but directed his question to Dr. Oliver, who nodded.

"Hey Connor," Adam asked, "how often is he late for class?"

"Hey!" both Dr. Oliver and Tommy stated.

"About 50 percent of the time, even if _we're_ on time," the dino thunder teenager answered back, indicating that it wasn't the mutation attacks making him late.

"And how often does he forget things?" Billy laughed, liking that the conversation was becoming light hearted. It was helping him get over the initial shock of everything.

"Hey!" the two Tommys both protested louder.

"Pretty often. I wasn't lying when I said I know how it feels to lose something," Kira told them, eyes on Kimberly who nodded, remembering that conversation. "I watch him do it all the time."

"He once lost my test and made me take it over," Trent added in.

"He miss placed his morpher last week," Ethan stated.

"What is this, bash Tommy time?" the teenage version pouted, although he was smiling. He had come to terms, somewhat with his shortcomings.

"Alright, enough from the peanut gallery," Dr. Oliver called out to the four teenagers on the floor. "How are you four feeling?"

"Better," Kira answered. "But could warn us before we do that again," she added. Trent had pushed himself to his feet and was helping her stand up while Connor and Ethan also allowed themselves to become vertical.

"Dr. O," Ethan started, "I know that you're enjoying coming clean and all, but should we be worried about you telling them all this?"

Dr. Oliver shook his head no, but also shrugged his shoulders. "I don't think so Ethan. I still don't remember every meeting us," he paused, trying to decide if he'd used the correct verbiage and pronouns. "And you're all still here. Morphers still intact?" All four teenagers gave their wrists twists, letting the metal bracelets with gems on them transform into their mechanical morphers. They nodded as one group. "So as far as we know, nothing has changed."

 _ **Dr. Oliver, why did you choose to come here when Billy and Kimberly discovered your identity?**_

An easy question posed yet again. "I knew it'd be the safest place to talk, Zordon. I knew they'd have questions. I wanted to do my best to answer them. But, I also wanted to ask if you could think of a way to send us home."

 _ **Unfortunately,**_ Zordon replied _**I cannot.**_ Dr. Oliver nodded understanding. _**However, all hope is not lost. While I cannot think of a way at the moment, I am sure with some thought we may be able to devise a plan. And in the meantime, you can continue to wait to see if this mutation you speak of has traveled back in time with you.**_

"What makes you think it did?" Billy asked.

"Rita and Zedd have now twice sent tengas to attack my team," Dr. Oliver replied. "Both times, I have no recollection of facing them as you, so I know it hadn't actually happened before. If we weren't present here, it wouldn't have happened. But I don't know any other way they would have known there were other rangers here."

 _ **Rangers!**_ Everyone in the room cast their gazes up at Zordon who smiled, slightly amused. _**You have learned much today. However, it is knowledge that you should not possess. Our new blue ranger friend is right to worry, as was Dr. Oliver when he tried to keep his identity a secret from you. Not only will we need to try and find a way to return them to their own time, but we will need to find a way to remove this knowledge from your minds, at least until the flow of time has been righted.**_

"But Zordon," Rocky and Tommy both started to argue at the same time.

"Zordon's right you guys," Billy interrupted. His team looked at him like he was a traitor. "This knowledge is dangerous. Maybe not for us, but we could destroy their future, our future, if we kept it." He turned his attention away from his teammates and towards his mentor. "I'll start working on plans to create something Zordon."

 _ **Tomorrow Billy. And thank you.**_ Billy smiled and nodded, still sure his teammates weren't thrilled to hear he'd help erase their memories. He'd talk to them about it more later, try and make them see reason. _**For now, you should all try and relax. Dr. Oliver, future rangers, I have no doubt that we will succeed in creating something that will do such a task, so do not fear anything that you may tell the rangers. Get to know one another. Go, and may the Power Protect You.**_

"Thanks Zordon," Dr. Oliver replied. The dino thunder teens muttered quiet thank yous as well. Zordon nodded to them all.

"Where should we go?" Aisha asked.

"You're staying at the cabin?" Tommy asked Dr. Oliver who nodded. "We'll go there then."

"We're going to teleport," Adam told Kira who groaned in response. The six Angel Grove teenagers each laughed slightly. "We've got to touch you to make it work."

"Alright, but be gentle," Connor told him, as Rocky stepped up and placed his hand on his shoulder. Billy did the same with Ethan, Aisha with Kira, and Adam with Trent. Tommy smirked and placed a hand on his own shoulder, Kimberly standing at his side, her hand still gripped tightly in his. A moment later, eleven streaks of light left the command center.

* * *

Hopefully you enjoyed my take on how the revelation would go. It'll continue in the next chapter.

Please leave a review if you enjoyed.

Thanks,

Fateless


	9. Chapter 9

Ten pairs of feet touched down in the empty grassy area near the small two bedroom cabin; six with practiced ease and four quite unsteadily. If it had not been for the support of the current rangers, more than one of the four would have experienced an unceremonious landing on their rears.

"Thanks," Kira muttered to Aisha as the girl helped steady her. She gazed around at her surroundings and companions. "Where's Kim?"

She'd barely spoken the words when a pink streak of light landed near both versions of Tommy. The pink clad girl cast a nervous look at Dr. Oliver before smiling at everyone. "I went back for the picnic basket. I figured some of us might still have an appetite after all that."

Both Rocky and Connor's faces lit up with delight as they both reached out to take the picnic basket from her. The pink ranger reluctantly handed it over to them. "You have to share," both Tommy's called out to their respective red rangers. Everyone looked at them in surprise, uneasy smiles on their faces.

"See, that's just creepy," Adam stated, getting a nod of agreement from Trent. The two Tommys just looked at each other and shrugged as the group moved to set up the picnic blanket that had been removed from the basket.

Within a few minutes, the blanket had been spread out, and everyone had taken seats around it, both teams intermixing with one another. Slightly uncomfortable, Tommy had seated himself a distance away from Dr. Oliver, Kimberly snuggled into his side. Dr. Oliver had been watching them since the Command Center, and it appeared neither one wished to be parted from the other. He felt a pang of jealousy, momentarily wishing that there was something he could do that would make Kim never lose that feeling. It wouldn't be long before she decided that separation would be best for them, and he decided not to fight for her. All eleven rangers had eaten lunch, keeping conversation light, mostly the Reefside teens and Angel Grove teens exchanging hobbies, descriptions of places they hung out, and other pleasantries. It let Dr. Oliver focus too much on things he didn't want to be focusing on.

"Can we ask some more questions?" Adam's voice stated, drawing Dr. Oliver out of his thoughts on himself and the only pink clad individual in the group. "If they're not too much of an imposition."

"Alright," Dr. Oliver stated. "But, I reserve the right not to answer." The teenagers nodded.

"How much longer will we be rangers?" Aisha asked him. He looked at her like she'd punched him in the gut. The Reefside teens picked up on it, but the Angel Grove teens weren't used to some of the facial expressions that were now common place on their friend's face. "I mean, you said none of us is a ranger anymore, so it'd be nice to know, at least for a little while, how much longer we have."

"Why do you ask questions when you know you won't like the answers?" Dr. Oliver countered her question. When she didn't withdraw it, he sighed. "How about I just tell you who serves the longest. You don't need to be worried about when the power will be gone." Aisha thought it over for a moment, and then nodded. The other teenagers did as well. "Next to me," he stated, "Adam will be a ranger the longest."

"Me?"

"Yes, you frog boy," Dr. Oliver told him with a laugh. The other rangers grinned, Rocky patting the only black clad teenager on the shoulder, who still looked stunned. He wasn't sure if he liked that news or not.

"So, can we go over some things since you arrived?" Billy asked. "I know we answered some," he stated.

"But the timeline's still bugging you?" Ethan finished for him. Billy nodded. "Shoot," Ethan stated.

"When we first ran into you in the youth center, was it really just you three?" Billy asked him. Ethan nodded. "But you know who we are, why didn't you do anything then?"

"Dr. Oliver made a video on Ranger history," Ethan explained. "It covers everything, from the start of the Rangers through us. And there have been a lot of Rangers in that time. I've only seen the video once," he stated. "As have Connor and Kira. It's a lot of information to take in. Things just didn't click right away." Billy contemplated his answer, and then nodded.

"So, how did you find Dr. Oliver and Kira?" Rocky asked them.

"Communicators," Connor stated, flicking his wrist. The communicator appeared, startling the former rangers. "Ranger technology has come a long way since you guys," he added. "But Billy's the start of it all. Without your original work, we wouldn't have anything we do now." Billy smiled hearing that.

"You guys are the start of a great legacy," Kira told them. Dr. Oliver enjoyed listening to the praise his current team was giving his past team. Pride in them, and in his friends welled up inside his chest. "No matter how long you're in uniform, know that you're all very important."

"So, obviously Dr. Oliver realized where you all were the moment he saw Rocky and the rest of us. Why didn't he tell you?" Aisha put in.

"He can become invisible, but he doesn't gain the power of telepathy. If he spoke, you all would have heard him. It's got to be weird enough for you to hear Tommy's voice coming out of his body, but what would you all have done if it was his voice coming out of thin air?" Trent asked them with a laugh in his voice and a smile on his face.

"Good point," Adam told him.

"So you realized it when you saw Tommy?" Kimberly asked. Kira nodded.

"When you see your mentors face on a teenager, you kind of can't deny things. Not when you've been through things like we have. I'm still certain this is the strangest thing we've had happen so far."

"We know what you mean," Billy laughed.

Kira nodded. "I hope I didn't insult you," she told Tommy, "when I ran off. I really did just feel sick over the whole thing. If Connor, Ethan, and I had remembered that video, we would have already known. But at that point, we were trapped in the youth center, with two versions of you, one which was invisible."

"No offense taken," Tommy told her; at the same time that Dr. Oliver said "I told you it's not your fault Kira."

"I'll make sure you all study ranger history more when we get home," Dr. Oliver added in. The four teenagers groaned.

"So when Connor was going to tell us your science teacher's name, Dr. Oliver kicked him in the shin to stop him. You still didn't know then?" Rocky asked, looking at the older man. Like all the other Angel Grove teens, they still hadn't quite grasped the fact that he and Tommy were one person. It was more than a little bizarre. Connor shook his head.

"We knew something was wrong, clearly, as he was no longer visible," Connor answered. "But we had no idea why. It wasn't making sense that us being seen was ok, while he needed to hide."

"But since Wednesday, you've all known who we were?" Adam asked. The four teenagers nodded.

"It's not like we could just come up to you all and say 'Hey we know you're the power rangers because we're the power rangers in the future'," Ethan told him.

"True," Aisha stated, with a smile. Adam blushed at his accusation.

"So, yesterday, Kira, you knew?" Kimberly asked her. Kira sighed.

"I didn't know what was going on. Only Dr. O knew," she stated, glaring at him. "He just forgot to tell us. If I'd known you were going to be in that area looking for your communicator I wouldn't have been there. I didn't realize what it was until it wouldn't stop beeping." Kimberly nodded. "I mean, I know about them, but I've never seen one. Dr. O's never shown us his."

"You still have yours?" Tommy asked Dr. Oliver who nodded.

"Of course," he stated. "And before anyone gets any funny ideas, I know exactly where it is, thank you very much." The teenagers all smiled, some snorting laughter, others like Kimberly downright giggling.

"I'm sorry I made you late," Kira added to Kimberly.

"No harm done," she said.

"Speak for yourself," Rocky muttered, shuddering at the memory of the previous day's afternoon.

"You knew who we were during the sparring match?" Tommy asked the teenagers. Connor and Trent nodded, small smirks on their face. "And you still agreed?"

"Well," Connor laughed, running his hand through his hair. He cast a nervous look at Dr. Oliver on the other side of the blanket. "I don't want to say."

"Why not?" Tommy asked.

"He'll hurt me," Connor put in. Dr. Oliver glared at him.

"We won't let him," Kimberly assured the teenager. Dr. Oliver looked at the pink clad teenager, dumbfounded. She raised one eyebrow at him, as if daring him to try something. Resigned that she could and would do something, Dr. Oliver sighed and looked away, muttering under his breath.

"Well," Trent stated for Connor. "We can't ever beat him in our time. Sparing with Tommy was the closest we could come to even having a chance."

"And even that didn't work out," Connor stated. Dr. Oliver laughed at them.

"What happened there?" Tommy stated, laughing as well. "I don't even remember either of us hitting you."

"Billy, Kimberly, and Aisha were catching on to their identities. I think Adam may have been piecing it together as well," Dr. Oliver stated. Adam looked up at him surprised, but then nodded. He hadn't been sure, but he suspected something. "I knew I needed to end the match and get them out of there."

"So you knocked over the chairs?" Aisha asked him.

"No," Dr. Oliver continued. "I jumped over the table and sprinted to the mats. I knocked down Trent, and then twisted Connor's leg out from under him."

Adam, Rocky, and Tommy were all staring at him, mouths open in shock.

"What?"

"You waded into an open match between four power rangers, took out two of them in a matter of seconds, and don't have a scratch," Adam stated.

"Bro," Rocky stated, looking at Tommy, "you're going to be scary in the future." Tommy just laughed.

"I'm not scary now?"

"Nope," Kimberly told him, leaning up and planting a kiss on his cheek. Tommy blushed slightly, noticing Dr. Oliver look away from him.

"Yeah, well, Tommy did almost punch me in the face," Dr. Oliver added in, a small laugh of his own. The teenager grinned at him.

"So, how have you all been surviving?" Billy asked them. "It's not like you can use much of the money you may have had with you."

"We had none, actually," Kira informed him. "Somebody made us spend a Saturday training," she looked pointedly at Dr. Oliver.

"That's right, I did," he stated, proud of that fact. He ignored the looks from his former teammates.

Kira just shook her head at him. "Anyway, Ethan, Trent, and I were at his place, working out when the attack came. We didn't really think to grab our wallets. And Connor was on a date, but he never has any cash."

"I told you," Connor stated. "It wasn't a date."

"Oh yeah," Kira snickered. "He tried to ask an older woman out. Didn't go so well. She thought he was a cute kid."

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled, glancing up at Kimberly and Tommy, and then quickly moving his eyes to the rest of the group.

"So if you're broke, what have you been doing for food?" Tommy asked, looking at the teenagers before an idea hit him, he glanced over at Dr. Oliver. "You stole from me?" he accused, surprise on his face.

"Is it really stealing if you take the money from yourself?" Dr. Oliver replied with a casual smile. "Oh relax. You'll never use it for anything anyway. And it's a good cause." The teenager glared at him. "I won't deplete it."

"And we can help out you know," Aisha stated. "We'll make sure you don't go hungry."

"Aisha, be careful what you promise," Dr. Oliver told her. "Connor's stomach may be double the size of Rocky's."

"Hey!" Both red clad teenagers shouted, slightly offended by the comment. Dr. Oliver just laughed at them.

"So what's the future like?" Kimberly asked, pulling her knees up against her chest. She wrapped her arms around them, and leaned to the side against Tommy's shoulder. "Flying cars? Or anything like that?"

"Kim," Dr. Oliver told her, "it hasn't even been ten years." She stuck her tongue out at him in response. "Besides, Billy has a flying car."

"No flying cars," Ethan said. "But technology has come a long way." He paused for a moment, thinking, then pulled out his cell phone. It was a slim black flip phone with a front screen, and another screen on the inside. He flipped it open and handed it to Billy who started at it. "Practically every teen in school has one, or one like it. It can take pictures, as well as make calls, and even access the internet. Or at least it can when it's in its own time. Battery's dead now though."

"Wow," Billy stated, passing the device to the other five Angel Grove teenagers.

"Video games have come far as well. Our local hangout, Cyberspace, has an entire area dedicated to it."

"You're making him homesick," Trent joked, watching Ethan's eyes glaze over as if he wasn't really with them at the moment. He waved his hand in front of Ethan's face. "Yoo hoo, anyone home?" Ethan blinked a few times.

"Sorry," he laughed, snapping out of it.

"So, you're not the white ranger anymore?" Tommy said, shifting his attention back to Dr. Oliver, who shook his head.

"Haven't been for a while."

"So, three ranger colors?" Tommy asked, once again being answered with a shake of Dr. Oliver's head in the negative.

"Four. Red too," he put in. "Twice."

"What do you mean twice?" Adam asked.

"They'll be a couple of power changes. More severe than what you've gone through so far. I'm talking completely different powers to get used to. Different types of technology, and morphs. Some of you will experience those. With it, there's sometimes a color change."

"Who?" Rocky asked. Tommy sighed. He'd started that one. He looked around at the group, thinking it over slowly.

"You," he replied to Rocky. He glanced at Aisha and Kimberly, knowing that neither would hold anything passed their current ninja ranger powers and zords. "Adam," he added in, and then looked at Billy. "And Billy, in a different way. And of course, Tommy," he added almost as an afterthought.

"Colors?" Adam asked.

"All three of you will change," he told the boys. "Red for Tommy, Green for Adam, and Blue for Rocky."

"Rocky's going to be blue?" Adam stated, looking at his best friend. "Thought you had to be smart for that."

"Ha ha," he stated. "What about Billy?"

"I'd rather not explain that one," Dr. Oliver said. It would be hard to tell his friend that although he would still be part of the team, it would be in a different functionality than as a Ranger. He didn't want to break his spirit.

"I'm good," Billy stated, with a nod. It wasn't like they were going to get to keep the information Dr. Oliver and the teens were telling him. As much as he might want to, knowing these things was dangerous.

"So what did you mean about being red twice?" Adam asked the only non-high school student.

"Two different power changes will result in being the red ranger twice," Dr. Oliver explained, looking at Tommy who was taking it all in. "You alright?"

"Hmm?" the teenager asked, looking up. He'd been lost in thought.

"This is all just information for the others," Dr. Oliver told him, kindly. "But it's different for you. It's your future. It can't be easy to hear, or see."

"I'm good," Tommy assured him, but Dr. Oliver knew he was lying. Still, he couldn't force the issue. Not with everyone else around.

"When did you cut your hair?" Kimberly asked, not looking at Dr. Oliver, but rather studying Tommy. The teenage dino thunder rangers started snickering. Dr. Oliver stared at the pink clad teenager, trying to figure out if she was intentionally trying to shake his cool, or if she was truly just hitting every nerve by accident.

"College," he stated simply, hoping to leave it like that.

"I don't like it," she added. Everyone except Tommy, Dr. Oliver, and her started laughing at the girl's response.

"Then I won't cut it," Tommy assured her, taking her hand in his. Dr. Oliver studied them, knowing there was a deeper meaning in Tommy's words than just his hair. They'd been the two most devastated to learn Dr. Oliver didn't know where any of his friends are. While the others were more concerned that their friendships had drifted apart, Tommy and Kimberly knew it meant they weren't together anymore. From his standpoint, it wasn't that big of a deal, seeing as he would never admit his true feelings. Yes, he missed her. Yes, he regretted losing her. But, from the adult standpoint, high school relationships very rarely lasted into adulthood. Very rarely did anyone ever end up with their high school sweet heart. But from their point of view, one where they were very much in love, where each loved the other an equal amount, the fact that they'd lost contact was deeply heartbreaking.

"You won't remember," Dr. Oliver reminded them, frowning. They both glared at him, as if the loss they felt was his fault, which since he'd been the one to tell them, it kind of was. "I'm sorry," he added. The other four teenagers on the team still thought they were talking about his hair.

"It is weird looking," Rocky assured Kimberly.

"Are you kidding," Connor snorted. "No offense Tommy, but from a distance, you look like a girl." Trent collapsed laughing, Kira peering at him with concern, as the teenager in question turned his glare to Connor while Dr. Oliver stood up, walked around and stood over the red clad teenager. "I'm going to die," Connor whimpered, shrinking away from the menacing looking adult. Adam, Rocky, and Billy had backed up, eyes staring wide at their white clad friend, while Aisha and Kimberly giggled a bit. Ethan was doing his best not to draw Dr. Oliver's, or Tommy's attention, while Kira was attempting to calm Trent's hysterics. The teenager was rolling on the floor laughing so hard, tears were in his eyes.

"Connor, stand up," Dr. Oliver told the teenager simply, who complied instantly. "Do you really think that was wise?" The teenager shook his head no, gulping.

"Please don't hurt me."

"I won't," Dr. Oliver stated, grinning at him, arms crossed over his chest.

"You won't?"

"Nope," was the response. He glanced over at Tommy who was now standing walking toward Connor. "I'll let him do it," he added, after a brief pause. The teenager had fallen into a crouch and swept his leg around knocking Connor's feet out from under him. Connor dropped to the ground, barely able to roll as he fell and save himself from injury. As it was, his pride was shot to pieces.

"You were saying?" Tommy stated, standing above the teenager who was now lying flat on his back. Connor just shook his head.

"I'm sorry."

"That's better," Dr. Oliver stated, grinning at his younger self who smiled back. He peered around the teenager to the other white clad teenager on the ground. Trent was still laughing, unable to compose himself. "Doing ok over there, Chuckles?"

Trent lifted his hand up and gave Dr. Oliver a thumbs up, his laughter starting to fade into slight giggles, his chest heaving with the effort of calming his laughter. Ethan and Kira kept shooting him nervous looks, as if he'd lost it.

"Dr. O?" Ethan asked. "You think something's wrong with his gem, again?"

Dr. Oliver shook his head.

"Gem?" Aisha asked. All six of the current team looked back at Dr. Oliver.

"I'm tired of explaining. They can take this one," he told the teenagers, seating himself back down beside Connor who had rolled himself back to a sitting position. The red clad teenager inched away slightly.

"Dino gems," Kira answered her color counterpart. "They're where we get our power from."

"Like our power coins," Kimberly suggested. Kira nodded.

"Exactly," she stated. "Dr. O built our morphers to be able to harness the power of the gems, which in turn allow us to become power rangers. The difference though is that the gem is bonded to our DNA," she stated. "It's part of what gives us the extra abilities, even out of morph."

"But it also means that there's only one way to separate us from the power," Ethan added in. "Our gems can't just be taken."

"For you to be separated from the power," Billy said, thinking, and not looking up, "you'd have to die?"

"Yep," Connor confirmed, casting a look at the still snickering white ranger. "Dude, do you need a padded cell or something?"

"I'm good," Trent breathed out. "I swear I'm good."

"Uh huh," Connor replied, still shooting him suspicious looks. Trent muttered something to himself that sounded similar to "Connor almost got killed by two Dr. Os." Connor rolled his eyes at his teammate.

"That's horrible," Aisha stated, bringing them back to the topic of the gems. "So if you didn't want to be a ranger…" she trailed off, unsure of what to say.

Kira sighed. "I hadn't wanted to," she told them honestly. Dr. Oliver gave her an encouraging smile. "But the gems choose us. I almost let Mesogog take the power from me once, until I realized what that would entail. So yeah, it was either become a power ranger, or die."

"Mesogog? What's a mesogog?" Tommy asked her. She gave him a slight smile in return.

"Ask him," Kira stated, pointing at Dr. Oliver who threw his hands up in surrender. "He's his fault."

"You mentioned that earlier," Billy stated. "I'm confused. How could Tommy, er… I mean Dr. Oliver have created them?"

"It's not all my fault you know," Dr. Oliver stated in defense. Aside from Connor, Ethan, and Trent, the other teenagers looked confused. "Fine! Like I said before, our enemies are mutations. Most of them are creature or at least control by a lead mutation, known as Mesogog. I um… well, I had an internship working at a lab on Dinosaur DNA. Experiments went wrong, island lab exploded, and Mesogog was created."

"You mean, you really did create the being trying to take over the world in your time? It's not some joke?" Billy asked him.

"Tommy, you're not just scary as an adult," Rocky told his friend, "you're dangerous."

"Thanks a lot Rocky," the teenager replied. He looked around at the four teenager visitors and then at the older version of himself. Dr. Oliver met his gaze squarely, not really sure what exactly the teenager was thinking, which was pretty much a first since he'd revealed himself. The teenager shook his head. "This is a just so much to take in."

"I know," Dr. Oliver told him. "But it's all true." The teenager nodded, as Kimberly wrapped her arms around him, trying to lend her comfort. Tommy turned his attention away from everyone, and looked up at the sky, attempting to take a few deep breaths and let everything he'd learned sink in.

"And that's why, I have to agree with Billy and Zordon," he stated, turning his attention back to the circle of high schoolers around him. Kira gave him a smile, while Connor, Ethan, and Trent nodded. Dr. Oliver watched him expressionless. However, Rocky, Adam, Aisha, and Kimberly didn't look happy.

"Tommy," Adam stated, glancing at Dr. Oliver. "How can you say that?"

"Yeah," Rocky added in. "There are things wrong with their future. If we remember this stuff, couldn't we do something about it?" Aisha nodded her agreement. Tommy shook his head at them.

"I'll admit, there's some things I learned that I'd like to change," he stated, "but their future isn't wrong. It is what it is, right?" he asked, looking at Dr. Oliver who nodded to him. Tommy wrapped his arm around Kimberly at his side, holding onto her protectively, and smiling down at her. She gave him a weak smile back up in return. "You ok with that?"

"I have to be, don't I?" she asked him. Her tone wasn't mean, but rather resigned. Tommy just nodded to her. Kimberly sighed and looked at Aisha, Rocky, and Adam. "He's right," she told them. She, Tommy, and Billy had been responsible for the world for the longest. It seemed only right that the three of them come to terms with things as they stood the earliest. The other three just gave the barest nods.

"Well, this is depressing," Connor told them, suddenly, jumping to his feet.

"Connor!" Kira and Dr. Oliver both hissed at him.

"Well, it is," he stated.

"I have to agree," Ethan said, looking over at Trent. The white clad teenager looked at Connor and then back at Dr. Oliver.

"Connor's right. Why bother wallowing in self-pity? For now, you keep the memories, at least till we're gone. And when we're gone, you won't even know that you lost anything," Trent stated.

"He's got a point," Adam agreed, shrugging his shoulders.

"Of course we do," Connor stated. "Now, since I no longer feel like all of my molecules have been scrambled, there's something I've wanted to ask."

"What could you possibly want to know, Connor?" Dr. Oliver told him.

"Anyone up for a re-match? Without the old man for help?"

"He has a death wish, doesn't he?" Billy whispered to Kira, who watched Dr. Oliver try to push past Trent and Ethan to grab hold of Connor who'd dashed further away. She shrugged in response. Both teenagers were pushing their mentor away away, talking in slow soft voices normally used for calming down wild animals.

"Alright," Tommy laughed. "Rocky? You want another go?" he asked the red clad teenager, as he resumed his feet. Rocky was nodding eagerly.

"They're gonna beat each other up again?" Kira asked Aisha, who nodded.

"Ethan?" Connor asked.

"No way, dude. I get my ass kicked by Dr. O often enough back home."

"Trent?"

"Sure," the white clad ranger called back. "But what do you say we make it more interesting? How about white on red?"

The four teenage boys in question, wandered a bit away from the rest of the group of teenagers, still arguing the logistics of the match.

"You going with them?" Aisha asked Adam, who shook his head.

"They're tiring just to watch," he told his friend, "and my head hurts enough already."

"I know what you mean," Kira told him with a smile. He returned hers with one of his own. "You staying out of it this time Dr. O?" she turned around, searching the area for him, and frowning when she didn't see him anywhere. She looked over at the cabin, noticing the door was slightly ajar. "I'll be right back," she told the others who nodded and waved her off. Billy was asking Ethan more about his cell phone, while Kimberly, Aisha, and Adam fell into easy conversation about an upcoming test at school.

Kira pushed herself to her feet and walked the distance back to the cabin. Quietly, she opened the door and walked inside, not seeing her teacher anywhere.

"Dr. O?" she called. "You ok?"

"I'm fine," he replied, coming out of the back bedroom. "You need something?"

"No," she stated. "I was just wondering where you went, and it's getting a little cool. I was going to grab a sweater." He nodded to her, walking back into the living room. "Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yeah," he replied. "Who's winning?" he asked, referring to the sparing match he could see through the window. Kira shrugged in response.

"Not sure," she told him, still frowning at him. "You're really ok?"

"Would I lie to you?"

"Probably," she told him, following his gaze out the window. She didn't know exactly what he was thinking, but his eyes were on the six rangers who had once been his teammates. "They'll all be fine, you know."

"I know," he said without looking back at her. He sighed and walked back out of the cabin. Kira walked into the back bedroom, and looked around for the bag she had from the thrift store. She couldn't remember exactly where she'd placed it. Not finding it on the dresser or bed, she pulled open the closet and a box fell down from the top shelf as if it had been placed back in a hurry, and not all the way, dropping some of its contents on the floor.

Kira knelt to pick it up, seeing a few hand scribbled notes with hearts drawn on them. She picked each one up and carefully placed them in the box. The last item was a tiny wallet sized white piece of paper. On the bottom was TO KAH with a heart drawn around it and the dates "summer 94". Flipping the paper over, Kira saw the familiar face of Dr. Oliver, although now in her mind she knew it was actually the teenager out sparring with her teammates, with his arms wrapped around Kimberly, his head resting on top of hers. Both of them wore genuine smiles which reached their eyes. Since she'd known him, Kira could honestly say she hadn't seen Dr. Oliver ever smile like that.

She sighed, placed the photograph inside the box, reattached the lid, and slid it back up onto the top shelf of the closet before grabbing a sweater out of her bag and heading back outside to join everyone else.


	10. Chapter 10

So, for clarification sake, since now things are going to get particularly hairy. "Tommy" will refer to either version when there is only one present. When both individuals are present, or a specific distinction needs to be made, "Tommy" will refer to the 1995 White Ranger, while "Dr. Oliver" or "Dr. O" (in the case of teenage dino thunder speak) will refer to the 2004 Black Ranger.

And now onward

* * *

Forgetting to close the curtains when going to bed after the day like Tommy had had was a bad idea. All he had wanted was to curl up in bed and not wake up for a very long time. Unfortunately, the sun had other plans for him, as the light spilled into through the unshielded window on Sunday morning. For a few moments he kicked himself mentally for giving Kira the back room that didn't face the rising sun. Groaning, he turned his head, looking at the clock through one blurry eye, on the nightstand. Three red numerals showed that it was just barely approaching 9:00 in the morning. He started to close his eyes again, but the sound of voices, confused him.

Instead, he pushed himself to his knees and brought one leg off the bed, followed by the other. He stretched and turned to face the mirror, examining himself for a moment. Briefly, he contemplated putting his glasses on, but all the teenagers running around his life, plus Connor's old man comment from the day before had struck a nerve, and he left them where they were on the night stand, walking out into the living room wearing nothing but a pair of black sweat pants.

He was taken by surprise at what he saw around the dining room table: four teenagers happily chattering while eating bowls of fruit loops. There was no arguing. No bickering. No competiveness between the red clad youth and the white clad one. And on top of that, all four were dressed in clothing acceptable for being seen in during the day time. He frowned, at them for a moment, before walking past them and going into the kitchen to pour himself a bowl of cereal as well.

Turning back around, box in one hand, bowl in the other, he smiled. "So, I was thinking, since you haven't been to school in four days, maybe today we'll go to the library. You've got midterms coming up," he told the teenagers.

"No can do, Dr. O," Connor replied, flipping through one of the magazines he and Ethan had found in the loft.

"Sorry Dr. O," Kira added, her voice light, with a smile on her face. "We've got plans."

"Plans?" Tommy asked the teenagers, confused. He was pretty sure he wasn't going to like where this was going.

"Yep," Trent told him, shoveling a spoonful of cereal into his mouth. "Rangers invited us to hang out today."

"They invited you to what?" Tommy asked them, stunned by the teenagers' answers.

"Trent and I are meeting Adam, Rocky, and Tommy at the youth center to work out," Connor told him, ignoring the looks that the adult version of Tommy was shooting at him. It wasn't that he didn't see them, it was more like he didn't acknowledge them.

"And I'm meeting Aisha and Kimberly to spend the day," Kira replied. "Not sure what we're doing yet. There was mention of a movie," she added, bring her bowl to the sink. She placed it inside and turned, leaning back on the edge of the counter on her elbows.

Tommy looked back and forth between Connor and her, still trying to process what they were telling him, his mouth slightly open. Finally he turned to Ethan.

"And you?" he asked the teenager in blue, who shrugged.

"Billy's going to be here soon. He asked for my help to work on a plan for their memories, as well as getting us back to our time. We're heading to the Command Center."

Tommy just blinked rapidly. "So you're all leaving me?" he pouted. He honestly couldn't believe what they were telling him, or how he was reacting. Part of him was simply upset that the teenagers had made plans for the day without checking with him. Sure, Connor was actually the leader, but the teens often deferred to him in times of crisis. Not to mention that he was the only one of the five familiar with the location and time. But a much larger part of him was actually jealous that _his_ friends would have made plans with the teenagers and not invited him along. Seeing them all, had brought back memories, and connections in his heart that he hadn't thought about in a long time. He had already resolved to do everything in his power to reach out to them, if they'd have him, when he finally got home.

In Reefside, he often felt like an outsider, even among the rangers. A man nearing the age of thirty didn't always fit in with a group of teenagers. Sure, they always strove to make him feel like one of the group, a member of the team, and not the old man they got saddled with. But it didn't make him always feel like one of them. But there at least, he had Haley. And if he was honest with himself, there were others he could always reach out to. He spoke to Billy every few months or so. Seeing himself so close with his friends was painful to watch, because he knew that he was partially responsible for the disintegration of the bonds they shared. But now, to hear that his current team was able to form bonds with his friends so easily, shook him to his very core. It seemed even among them, there was no place for him.

"You can come you know," Ethan told him. "I already told Billy you'd want to," he added with a laugh. "We were kind of counting on it."

"You were?" Tommy stated, slight disbelief in his voice.

"Yes, you big baby," he retorted. "Go get dressed or they'll make fun of you for being late."

Tommy glared at him, but actually did as the blue ranger suggested. When he'd finished, he walked back out into the center of the cabin, to find it nearly deserted save for Ethan who was at the sink washing the breakfast dishes. Ethan peaked over his shoulder at Tommy, and then turned back to the sink. "They left," he replied to his mentor's silent question. "Promised they'd all be back this evening before sunset. You ready to go? I told Billy we'd meet him outside."

"Yeah," Tommy replied, as the teen dried his hands on a towel. Tommy led the way out of the cabin.

"Dude," Ethan stated. "Did you seriously think we'd leave you behind?"

"Shut up," Tommy hissed at him, slapping the teenager lightly behind his head. Not hard enough to hurt, but enough to get Ethan to glare at him.

"Do it again and I'll tell Billy not to take you with us," he said, as a blue steak of light landed in front of them. Tommy just laughed at him.

* * *

Later that afternoon Kira sat at a table in the park with Kimberly on one side of her and Aisha on the other. Each girl had a purple and teal movie theater soft drink cup in their hands.

"Thanks for treating to the movie Kim," Kira stated.

"Have you seen it before?" Kimberly asked her, laughing. "You know, in Reefside?" She left out the mention of the future, knowing Kira would know exactly what she meant. The yellow clad teenager with blonde hair smiled and shook her head.

"No," she stated. "That's one movie I hadn't seen. I was only eight when it came out," she said. "And being the only girl in the group, it's not a movie I could convince the guys to watch. It was really funny though," she told them.

"I laughed so hard when Marcia got hit in the nose," Aisha laughed. "As if a swollen nose is the worst thing in the world." Kimberly and Kira laughed and nodded in agreement.

"So," Kimberly asked, "what _is_ it like being the only girl on the team? I don't know what I'd do without Aisha."

"Oh," Kira stated. "It's not that bad. The guys are pretty cool. Connor can be a bit annoying at times, but they don't treat me any differently. They know I can hold my own just as well as they can."

"Don't you get lonely for some girl talk," Aisha asked her.

"No," Kira laughed and shook her head. "I'm not normally into all that girly stuff," Kira added. "Although, there was this one time," she trailed off in thought for a moment. "A meteor brought out a latent side of our personalities. All I wanted to do was shop. I even complained about getting helmet hair from our ranger uniform," she finished with a very quiet voice.

Aisha laughed and Kimberly blushed as she remembered her first time donning the unifor, laughing as well. "That sounds like being a ranger; all sorts of weird things happening."

"And besides, I've always got Haley," Kira added in.

"Dr. Oliver mentioned her yesterday," Aisha stated. "Who is she? Do we know her?"

"I don't think so," Kira stated, shaking her head and taking a sip of her drink. "Dr. O met her when they were in college. They're best friends." She noticed both girls' smiles falter a little, the light in their eyes dim. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."

"It's alright," Aisha said. "Times change; people change." Kimberly just nodded sadly.

"Tell me about Tommy," Kira stated, trying to change the topic. "I mean, Dr. Tommy Oliver I know, but Tommy just seems so different. What's he like now? As a leader?"

"Oh right," Kimberly laughed. "Connor's your leader," she nodded. "That makes sense. Before Tommy, Jason was our leader. He was red, too. So anyway, what's he like… well…"

"He tends to be late for things," Aisha laughed. "If we really need him to be somewhere, we often tell him thirty minutes or an hour before, just to make sure he's on time. But as a leader; Rocky makes a great second in command, but Tommy tends to think things through a bit more. He's definitely worthy of the title."

"And forgetful. The boy is always misplacing things," Kimberly added in, a sweet smile on her face. She stared into the air. "It's actually kind of adorable."

"So, what's up with you two?" Kira asked her, a teasing grin on her face. "You two together?"

"They've been an item for a few years now," Aisha told Kira. Kim nodded.

"Well, it wasn't quite official when he was green, but since he became the white ranger, we've really been inseparable."

"Oh, right, after you broke the spell he was under," Kira stated.

"You know about that?" Kimberly asked, surprised at the other girls knowledge. The Tommy she knew wasn't big on talking about his evil green ranger days.

"Yeah, well, we went through something similar with Trent," Kira told them. "Mesogog had the white dino gem before Trent bonded to it. When he did, he went evil on us; a little insane as well. Dr. O helped him through the aftermath, once we turned him good."

"Makes sense," Aisha told her, standing up from the table. "What do you say we check on the guys at the youth center?"

"Sure," Kimberly said, following her. Kira nodded, joining the other two girls as they began to walk in the direction of town. They'd barely gone ten yards when they found their path cut off by a group of tengas and a strange creature Kira had never seen before. The creature appeared to be skeletal, with the possibility of organs on the inside. He was thicker in build than any skeleton Kira had ever seen. The right side of his body was a brownish grey color, while the left side appeared painted in a brown and green camouflage pattern. He carried a sword made out of the same bone material as he was. All three girls had dropped into a fighting stance at their arrival; while once again, the local populace ran screaming in the other direction. That was nothing new to Kira.

"Ok," Kira stated, "the tengas I've seen. But what the hell is that?"

"Rito," Aisha stated simply, her voice dripping with disgust.

"Um… ok," Kira answered. That explained nothing.

"What do you want, Rito?" Kimberly yelled out.

"Aww, don'tcha want to play little ranger? I do," Rito laughed. Kimberly and Aisha looked at each other and nodded, then they glanced at Kira. Kira gave them a quick nod and twisted her wrist.

Standing beside each other, Kimberly and Aisha moved their arms in an arc pattern, Kimberly calling out "Ninja Ranger Power Now!"

Just behind them, Kira shouted "Dino Thunder, Power Up!" She pressed her morph button.

At that point one fully morphed yellow ranger, and two ninja clad rangers stood in front of the tengas and Rito, threating with their poses.

"Give it up now Rito," Aisha stated.

"Sorry," he laughed. "Wish I could; but I can't. Get em'," he instructed the tengas, which rushed forward to attack the three girls, driving them all apart. Each ranger took on a batch of tengas, refusing to back down, while Rito studied the battle. "Now," the creature stated, "let me think. Which one I am supposed to take again?" He surveyed the fight in front of him.

Used to working together, Kim and Aisha had managed to regroup. Using Aisha's hands as a spring board, Kim leaped toward a tenga, both legs colliding with one and sending it to the ground. She used the force to propel herself into a second tenga, knocking it out. When she tried to do the same to a third, it grabbed her by the ankles and jerked her out of the air.

Aisha flipped backwards, coming up between two tengas. She punched out to both her left and right, nailing them both in the beak. As they dropped, a third bird creature wrapped its wing like arms around her, pinning her arms to the sides and lifting her in the air. Despite the restraint, Aisha kicked out with her legs, preventing any other tengas from coming near.

Kira, separated from the other two girls, took on a few of the tengas on her own, using kicks and punches that Tommy had taught her and the other dino thunder teens. After taking down two, Aisha's scream as she was held captive called her attention. Kira looked up at her to see Rito moving closer to her.

"Lemme go, you feathered parasites," Aisha hissed.

"Leave her alone Rito," Kimberly yelled. A tenga had its foot pressed against her back, pinning her to the ground.

"Let'see," Rito stated, staying just outside the range of the yellow ninja ranger's flailing legs. He was scratching the rounded top of his helmet like skull. "Was it this one that I'm supposed to bring back?"

Kira didn't hesitate. She raced toward the tenga trapping Aisha and did a summersault over its head, landing between it and Rito, who stumbled backwards a few paces. Aisha stopped kicking, but continued to struggle to free herself. Taking a deep breath, Kira released a ptera scream, causing the tengas trapping the ninja rangers to release them. Kim and Aisha clapped their hands over their ears, as the tengas and Rito struggled to do the same, tripping over themselves as they raced to place as much distance between them and the fully morphed screaming ranger.

"This isn't over," Rito shouted, and disappeared with a few of the tengas. The remaining creatures took flight, racing away.

Scanning the area for witnesses and not seeing any, all three girls powered down.

"Thanks Kira," Aisha stated a worried smile on her face. She was rubbing her ears.

Kira nodded.

"That was weird," Kimberly added in. "Let's go see if Zordon knows anything," she told the other girls.

Aisha nodded and placed her hand on Kira's shoulder. "Ready?" she asked the girl, who nodded. A moment later they teleported straight into the Command Center, startling the three male rangers working at the consoles.

"Kira," Tommy stated, catching the girl as Aisha released her when they materialized, confused. "Are you ok?"

She nodded. "We were attacked," she stated, coughing a bit.

"You've got to stop using your scream," he scolded her gently, helping her sit down on the edge of a console. She waved him off since he was acting like a mother hen. He told them that teleporting took some time to get use do. It was definitely going to be more than three for Kira. Ethan had been wobbly on his feet for almost an hour after they arrived with Billy at the Command Center that morning. "Tengas?" he asked Kimberly and Aisha. Both teens nodded to him.

"And Rito," Kimberly told him. "Zordon, can you find out anything?"

 _ **Afraid not, Kimberly.**_

"Ay yi yi yi yi… Kimberly, Aisha, Kira are you alright?" Alpha 5 stated, running forward to check the girls' vitals with a scanner.

"We're fine, Alpha," Aisha assured him. "Zordon, Rito said something about taking one of us."

"He almost got away with Aisha," Kimberly stated.

"That's most unsettling," Billy told them.

"Kira stopped him," she answered. Ethan grinned, and Kira accepted the praise with a weak smile.

"Was Rito sure he was supposed to take Aisha?" Tommy asked them.

"No," Kimberly replied. "He really seemed like he couldn't remember."

 _ **Rangers, all that is apparent is that one of you three was the target. Until we know more, you should each remain with a few of the others at all times.**_

"I agree with Zordon," Tommy told them, getting slight glares from the girls. "There's strength in numbers," he told them. The three sighed and nodded. The older man had a point.

"Speaking of the others," Billy put in, "perhaps we should meet up with them. Let them know what happened?"

"We were pretty much done for the day here anyway," Ethan added, shrugging his shoulders.

Tommy sighed and nodded. "Kira?"

"Ugh…" the teenager mumbled, struggling to her feet. "Get it over with."

Moments later they teleported behind the trees to the side of the youth center; Tommy faded invisible. The rangers may have known who he was, but it wouldn't be good for any other Angel Grove residents to catch two Tommy's walking around.

Billy and Ethan led the way inside, happening to catch the end of a match between Adam and Connor.

"Hey guys," the white clad teenager with long hair called up to them. "What's up?" he asked with a slight frown when he saw Kim. When she reached him, she wrapped her arms around his waist. He put one arm around her in a hug.

Billy gave him a look, and Tommy called out to the other four, leading the entire group of eleven; ten visible; individuals to a secluded corner.

"Rito attacked the girls," Billy stated simply.

"What's a Rito?" Connor asked.

"Skeletal creature," Rocky stated.

"Rita's brother," Adam said at the same time.

"You wouldn't like him," Tommy added. The three dino thunder boys nodded. "Are you all ok?" he asked the three girls. They nodded as well.

"We're fine," Kimberly assured him. "Kira chased them off."

"Kira, your throat is going to," Trent began.

"I already got the lecture," she said quietly, cutting him off. She didn't need to be scolded twice. "I had to do something. He was gonna carry Aisha off to who knows where."

"What!" Rocky, Tommy, Adam, Connor and Trent shouted, drawing stares.

"Sorry," Rocky stated, waving to their audience. Aisha rolled her eyes.

"Quiet," she hissed at her teammates and the other two boys. "I'm fine," she stated, sensing more worry from both Adam and Rocky than any of the other guys. It made sense; they'd known each other the longest.

"Rito was going on about taking one of us," Kira told the guys.

"But we don't know who," Kimberly finished for her. "He sort of forgot which of us the target was."

"Good thing he didn't just decide to take all three of you," Trent stated, slinging his arm over Kira's shoulder. She gave him a grateful smile.

"Alright," Tommy stated, "until we figure out what they're after, you three aren't to be alone."

"We already got that lecture," Kimberly told him with a smile. "Twice."

"Good," he added, leaning down and kissing her forehead. He sat up then and looked around. "Speaking of lectures, is Dr. Oliver here?"

"Yes," was the whispered reply from behind. Tommy and the rest of his team jumped nearly out of their seats. The dino thunder teens startled slightly, but nowhere nearly as bad. They laughed.

"Not fun, is it?" Ethan asked them. Billy grumbled slightly, while the others guys blushed slightly, despite small smiles on their faces. Aisha and Kimberly were trying not to laugh.

"How'd your end of things go?" Tommy asked Billy and Ethan, and Dr. Oliver, despite the fact that they couldn't see him.

"We've got a start on the memories thing," Billy replied. "Ethan you want to explain, since it was your idea?"

"Sure," he said, noticing the current rangers were frowning. "If what we're planning works, your memories won't be erased."

"Come again?" Rocky asked him. "You all were adamant yesterday that we couldn't keep them."

Ethan grinned. "We're not going to erase them. We're just going to lock them up."

"Ethan came up with the idea," Billy said, smiling. "We're still ironing out the logistics, but I do believe I can create a device that will seal our memories until Connor and his team have returned to their rightful time."

"At which point," Ethan said, "your memories of meeting us will return. So, while you can't change anything that will happen between now and then," he put in.

"We can change things after," Adam finished for him, realization dawning on him. He gave Billy and Ethan a smile. "It's better than nothing."

"So we won't forget you guys?" Aisha said, asking Ethan who shook his head.

"I hope you'll come to Reefside when you remember," Kira told them. Kimberly reached across the table and put her hand on top of the other girls.

"Try and stop us," she said with a smile and a laugh. Unseen, Dr. Oliver's face went pale, at Kimberly's promise that when she remembered, she'd waltz back into their lives. Sure, when Ethan had proposed the plan, he'd been all for it. He'd remember the encounter as well, from both sides of the coin, so he was more than agreeable to the idea of a way to mend the broken relationships with his friends. However, now that the plan had been spoken out loud, he was more hesitant. If, and of course they would, the current teenagers knew all the details behind their separations, would they truly want to reunite? They might think so now, but as they grew up, they would grow apart. While friendship and danger bonded them together, it was easy to make such a promise. But what would happen when they remembered their new allies, but also knew all the events that would occur in between? If they didn't show up in his life again, he'd be disappointed. But more importantly, the teenagers would be devastated. He was beginning to realize that the teenagers were forming bonds with his friends. He worried that they'd be let down. And he worried that Kimberly, knowing what had happened between her and Tommy, would let that stop her from coming.

Kira, Connor, Ethan, and Trent smiled, and began talking a mile a minute, describing Reefside. They couldn't wait to show off Cyberspace. Ethan was going into detail about some of his favorite video games. Connor wanted to show off his soccer field to Adam, who suggested that they get in a game or two while they were still the same age, as he figured with years of experience he'd be able to easily best the teenager, when they met back up in 2004. Kira was promising to introduce Aisha and Kimberly to Haley, which in Dr. Oliver's mind was a very scary possibility. Haley knew about his past with Kimberly, despite the two having never met. He couldn't see that meeting going over very well. He was beginning to regret not insisting that the device erase their memories completely.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent in multiple random conversations between various groups of teenagers, while the lone invisible adult took in the whole situation. He watched the teenagers spar a few times, giving his teenage charges a bit of critique whenever they sat close enough that he could maintain a whisper. One suggestion to Kira even helped the girl take Rocky, who was taller and stockier than she was off his feet in under two minutes. When he pressed her for where she'd learned such a move, she told him Tommy taught it to her. The white clad teenager had to convince his teammate that he didn't know it yet. The complexity of the situation was amusing enough that Dr. Oliver almost drew attention to himself through laughter.

Finally, as the clock approached five o'clock in the afternoon, Tommy decided to call in quits for the day, reminding his friends that they had parents and responsibilities and school the next day. Rocky mumbled something about still having homework to do, getting a few nods from his teammates as conversation slowly shifted to what they all still had to get done before Monday morning.

"It's a short week, though," Billy told the dino thunder teens as they migrated out of the youth center all together. "We've got a long weekend coming off. Out of classes on Thursday and Friday," he added in.

"Sounds great," Connor assured him.

"What will you all do tomorrow?" Kimberly asked the visiting teens.

"I'm sure Dr. O will find something for us to do," Ethan laughed, glancing around for any sign that he was about to get smacked upside the head by an invisible hand. He relaxed after a moment when nothing happened.

"We'll meet you at the park around four if you'd like," Aisha told them.

"Give us some time to work on homework," Adam told them.

"Sounds good," Trent put in with nod. They'd all paused when they reached the road.

"Alright, tomorrow at four in the park near the swings," Tommy stated. The four dino thunder teenagers nodded. "Come on," Tommy said to his teammates. "We're walking you two home," he added, addressing Kimberly and Aisha who glared at him, although Adam, Rocky, and Billy were nodding agreement with their leader. "Kira?"

"We got her, dude," Connor told Tommy. Kira rolled her eyes, but smiled. It was kind of nice knowing the guys took it seriously that they would always have each other's back.

"Alright," Tommy nodded. "See you tomorrow," he added, waving as the two groups of rangers split in half to head home for the evening. He slipped his hand into Kimberly's as they walked.

Dr. Oliver watched them go silently for a moment before turning and jogging to catch up with his current teammates.

* * *

Not much to comment on here, except to all those who review as Guests, since I can't reply to you individually - Thank you. I'm glad you're enjoying.

If you've thus far been a silent reader, - thank you as well for continuing to read.

If you have a moment, leave a review. If you love it, tell me. If you want to put out a theory, let me know. If you've got constructive criticism, please, by all means, tell me.

Thanks as always,

Fateless


	11. Chapter 11

Connor crept slowly down from the loft at a little after seven in the morning. When he'd woken up on the top bunk of the bed that morning, he'd been a bit surprised to find Ethan already gone. Or at least he was until he looked at the time. Kicking himself for sleeping past the 6:30 am wakeup call Tommy had assigned them that morning, he'd quietly jumped out of bed, catching snippets of conversation from down below. He'd horridly gotten dressed, and tried to descend the stairs as silently as possible. A tiny portion of himself hoped it was early enough that his easily forgetful science teacher might not notice that he'd been missing if he slipped into a chair without being caught. Dodging behind his already dressed for the day mentor's back, he managed to seat himself between Ethan and Kira.

"Nice of you to join us, Connor," Tommy told him, not even looking up from the newspaper he was reading, while sipping from a mug of coffee. They'd grabbed a copy of the local paper on their way back to the cabin the evening before.

Connor sighed, and began to fill his bowl from an almost empty cereal box. There was more in the cupboards, but he really didn't feel like getting up. After all, he'd need to in a bit as it was his day to wash the dishes.

"Don't you already know everything that that thing says?" Connor replied. Tommy dropped the paper a bit to peer at him over the top. Connor grumbled and turned his attention back to his breakfast, as the paper resumed its spot blocking the older man's view.

"So, what's the plan for the day, Dr. O?" Trent asked.

"You promised you'd tell us once Connor showed up," Kira added in.

Tommy sighed and folded the paper, setting it off to the side. He picked up his coffee mug and took another sip. "Katas," he told the teenagers. All four groaned. Tommy smirked at them. "I want you three," he said, pointing at Connor, Kira, and Trent, "to start practicing no later than eight am. You can have three fifteen minute breaks, but you practice the ones I've already taught you till one." He paused. "Then you can relax until you need to meet the rangers at four."

"What about Ethan?" Connor protested. "Why does he get the day off?"

"He's coming with me," Tommy told them, going to the sink to rinse out his mug.

"And were exactly are you going?" Trent asked.

"Command Center," Tommy replied. "Billy will be here in a few minutes to teleport us before he goes to school. We're going to get started on the designs for the memory device." Trent and Kira nodded, finishing their breakfast and bringing the bowls to the sink. Connor was grinning a bit while he ate. "And don't get any bright ideas that you don't have to practice without me here," Tommy added in. "I can watch you on the viewing globe."

"Spy master," Connor muttered. Tommy ignored him, hearing the sounds of teleportation on the porch, followed by a knock on the door.

"Ethan, ready to go?" Tommy asked the blue clad teen who nodded, dropping his bowl in the sink.

"Sorry, dude," Ethan told Connor with a grin, as he and Tommy walked out the door to join Billy.

"Stay out of trouble today, alright. And do not leave Kira alone" he told the other three who all nodded. "And remember, by eight am."

He walked out the door and down the steps of the porch to a bit of open grass where Ethan and Billy were waiting on him. A moment later, Billy had teleported them into the Command Center. Ethan wobbled a little and grabbed his head, eyes glazed over a bit as if he wasn't seeing straight. However, he remained on his feet, and none of his breakfast threatened to come back up. After a quick check that he was alright, Tommy turned to Billy and thanked him.

"No problem," Billy told him with a nod. "I'll come back after school," he added in. Tommy and Ethan both nodded and bid the blue ranger goodbye. Billy teleported out of the Command Center, leaving Tommy and Ethan alone with Alpha and Zordon.

"Welcome Tommy! Welcome Ethan!" the small robot stated, coming towards them. Both rangers smiled at him.

"Hey Alpha," Ethan stated, getting used to the site of the android after spending the entire day with him the day before. Tommy just nodded towards him.

 _ **Dr. Oliver; Ethan; Welcome back. How did the other rangers take the news of your plan yesterday?**_

"They seemed pleased, Zordon," Ethan told the alien creature. Tommy had pulled out the notes they'd jotted down the day before.

 _ **I thought they might be. Have you given thought to how you will achieve such a task?**_

"Some," Tommy admitted. "But I'm not sure it will work. Perhaps we should have a backup plan? If we can't lock up the memories, we'll have to erase them."

Ethan frowned at his teacher. Tommy hadn't mentioned anything the day before about thinking they might need a backup plan. "I think we'll come up with something Dr. O," he told him. Tommy looked over at him and nodded, with a slight sigh, as if resigning himself. Ethan wondering if he was second guessing the decision to actually let his friends keep their memories.

"Alright," Tommy stated. "I was thinking, since we want them to keep their memories of us, we're going to need to create a device that will transfer them from short-term, to long-term memory storage. Once that's done, we'll need to incorporate a blocker that will prevent them from accessing their long term memories of us."

"But if they try to recall anything from the time that we were here," Ethan stated, "won't it cause massive blanks in memory?"

"I was thinking about that too," Tommy told him, "but I'm not sure of how to compensate for that."

"What about some type of diversion tactic?" Ethan asked him. Tommy frowned, not understanding what Ethan was suggesting. "What if the device manipulates the memories in long term storage? Replaces us with other people or events that would make sense? At least until the device is deactivated."

"You think it's possible?" Tommy asked him.

Ethan raised his eyebrows. "Dr. O," he said, a laugh in his voice. "We're in 1995. Isn't anything possible at this point?"

Tommy laughed in response. "Ok, so, the device needs to convert short-term to long term memory, alter the long term memory if accessed, and be triggered to deactivate once there is no longer a distortion in the flow of time." Tommy was taking notes down on what they discussed.

"Sounds about right," Ethan told him, laughing. Tommy shook his head and read over the notes a few more times, trying to comprehend exactly what they were suggesting. It was a tall order, even for them. He'd had Haley's help in Reefside. Billy had helped a bit too, via a satellite link he and Haley had set up. And Ethan had even contributed a bit to their technology in 2004. But here, he didn't have Haley. He didn't have his lab. Having Billy was great, but he'd gotten used to a Billy who had access to greater amounts of alien technology than the one in their current time.

Tommy sighed and ran his hand over his face. "Alright computer genius, where do you suggest we start?"

* * *

"Everything hurts," Kira muttered, her right arm stretched out on the table, her head turned to the side, resting on top of it. Trent stood behind her, massaging her shoulders slightly. It was nearly two thirty in the afternoon, and the teenagers had showered after their morning workout sessions and had just finished up eating lunch.

Connor nodded agreement. "I think Dr. O is trying to kill us," he stated. Said individual had contacted them via communicator several times over the course of the morning and into the early afternoon, checking in and giving them instruction when he felt that weren't carrying out a particular Kata correctly, or when he wanted a specific pair of them to spar using different combinations of moves.

"I think he's trying to prevent us from going at it with the rangers this afternoon," Trent put in. Connor frowned at him, but didn't move from his seat across from Kira.

"I'm too tired to spar with a mouse," he replied, "let alone those guys."

"Dr. O was pretty good at our age, huh?" Kira asked, sitting up and giving Trent a brief smile of gratitude. Connor and Trent both nodded. In their rematch, Tommy had taken Connor down. The red clad teen had lasted twice as long in that match as in any he'd done with Dr. Oliver, but Tommy had still bested him. The only bit of comfort he had from that match was that Rocky had brought down Trent only a few minutes later, leaving Rocky and Tommy to go at it, since they had taken Trent's suggestion of Red vs. White. Unfortunately for Connor, Tommy had bested Rocky in a greater amount of time than it had taken him to drop Connor.

"How do you think, Dr. O's doing with all this?" Trent asked his two teammates. Connor shrugged.

"Not great," Kira replied. "I think he wants to go home more than any of us do," she added in after a moment's pause of thought. "I don't think he likes being reminded of his past so much."

"What do you mean?" Connor asked her.

"Aside from Billy," Kira told them, "have either of you ever heard him mention any of their names? I mean, other than when he's teaching us Ranger history." The boys paused to think, but ultimately shook their heads, Trent muttering a quiet no. "What do you think it'd be like if ten years down the road, we're no longer friends?" Connor and Trent looked at her in horror for a moment, then at each other, realizing what she was saying.

"Dude," Connor stated, "I don't want to lose contact with any of you; not even Trent," he laughed.

"Likewise," Trent replied with a grin.

Kira nodded to them. "Thought not. Dr. Oliver doesn't know where all of his best friends, his teammates, are. Look at how close Tommy and Kimberly are. Dr. O, doesn't know where _she_ is." Kira stressed the word she. Connor and Trent sat in silence, listening to Kira and taking in her words. "He's putting on a brave face," she told them, "but he wants to get the hell out of here."

"What do you think happened?" Trent finally spoke. "Between all of them?"

"I don't know," Kira said. "Dr. O said ranger powers changed, but not for all of them. I guess, it's possible, bouncing from team to team, different teammates coming and going; trying to keep up with friends who are no longer rangers just becomes too difficult."

"But he had a break," Connor told them. "Couldn't he have reached out then?"

"Maybe," Trent offered. "But maybe he felt like too much time had passed. Maybe he's afraid they'd be mad. Sometimes people grow up and move on."

"I don't care how much we grow up," Connor argued. "I'm not moving on."

"Connor," Trent stated with a smile, "You'll never grow up."

"Hey!" Connor laughed in response, and glanced down at the watch on his wrist. "I suppose it's time to get going, at least if we don't want to have to jog. I don't want them thinking we're late like Dr. O." Trent and Kira agreed, standing and following Connor out the door of the Cabin, Trent locking it with the key Tommy had left them earlier that morning.

Halfway through their walk in the woods, their light conversation was interrupted by strange voices. They'd been there for nearly five and a half days, coming and going from the cabin through the woods multiple times a day, and they had never once encountered anyone else nearby. Frowning, Connor cast a look at both Trent and Kira who shrugged. The voices sounded like they were arguing over something. Motioning for his teammates to be quiet, Connor led the way off the trail and towards the heated discussion, keeping low as they picked their way through undergrowth.

"Dude!" Connor whispered, surprise in his tone, when the three teenagers reached a small clearing. What they saw was nothing like what they had expected. Three small oak trees formed the center portion of the area, surrounded only by grass. Nearby, was a group of tengas, squawking amongst themselves. However, that actually wasn't the surprising part. What did surprise them was that several yards away from the tengas, was a group of even stranger looking creatures. These two were humanoid in the sense that they had a head on top of shoulders, two arms, and two legs. But that's where the comparison to humans stopped. In exchange on one hand, the creatures had a long reptilian like claw. Their legs were black, ending in greyish brown metallic like boots. Their upper legs were covered with thick armor and spikes. Their chests were covered in the same metallic like armor, with an S shaped design over the breast plate and spikes protruding from the shoulder pads. The strangest part about the creatures were their heads which vaguely resembled dried out pieces of coral, with three massive spike protruding from the crowns. The heads had no distinctive places for eyes, ears, or mouths, however, the teenagers knew from experience that the creatures could see, hear, and communicate with each other just fine. "What are tyrannodrones doing here?" Connor hissed, in complete shock. Trent just shrugged, but Kira was pointing towards the center of the clearing, near the oak trees.

The boys followed her finger, taking in what they saw. Two massive creatures stood arguing back and forth. They had been the source of the commotion that had gotten the teenagers' attention. One was the skeletal creature that Kira had encountered the day before with Aisha and Kimberly. The second was a dinosaur like creature with the head and forearms of a raptor, legs of a brontosaurus, and a clock in its chest. The teenagers had only seen it once before and briefly, but it was not something they were soon to forget. At long last, they had confirmed what Tommy had suspected. Chronosaurus had gone back in time as well.

"Well, that explains the tyrannodrones," Trent stated. "But what's the thing he's talking to?"

"That's Rito," Kira informed the two boys. "Dr. O must have been right. Chronosaurus is working with the aliens of this time. But why?"

The teenagers watched the two creatures in the center move toward the trees. Chronosaurus maneuvered himself so that it was opposite the trees, facing them, while Rito stood off to the side, just behind him. Chronosaurus lifted a device into the space in front of him. It vaguely resembled a gas lantern. The air in between the trees and the mutation distorted, almost as if it was swirling and there was a flash of light, which caused the teenagers to look away. When they looked back, Rito and Chronosaurus were laughing, although they could barely be heard over the din coming from the tengas and tyrannodrones who appeared to be celebrating. The three trees were gone. The teenagers cast looks at one another, until another flash of light forced them to shut their eyes. When the spots cleared, the trees were back. "Do it again," they heard Rito shout, and the three teens looked away before the light forced them to again. When they could safely gaze out into the clearing again, the trees once again were gone.

"What the hell was that?" Kira hissed.

"I don't know," Connor stated, "but I don't like it," he added, flicking his wrist. Tommy had told them that they couldn't interfere with the events of the current time. However, since Chronosaurus and the tyrannodrones were from their time, it was definitely clear that this had never happened before. Kira and Trent copied his movement, and a shout later, three fully morphed power rangers raced out into the clearing, the red ranger in the lead.

"Hold it right there, Chronosaurus," Connor shouted. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Rangers," the creature hissed, turning itself to face them. "You're not supposed to be here."

"You brought us here, ding bat," Kira growled.

"Tut tut tut," Chronosaurus laughed. "You misunderstand." He stepped back, the tyrannodrones surrounding him. However, they didn't attack. "Oh well," he added. "What's done is done. See you later rangers," he laughed, and suddenly an invisiportal opened. Chronosaurus and the tyrannodrones jumped in and it closed, leaving the rangers stunned.

"He just ran away?" Trent stated, confused.

"Aww," the remaining skeletal creature laughed, turning its attention to the rangers. "I'll play with you, rangers. Tengas! Attack!"

Suddenly the three rangers found themselves surrounded by the group of tengas. They dropped into defensive stances.

"Not these feather heads again," Connor grumbled, as one leaped toward him. Connor fell into a familiar kick and punch combo that he and his teammates were running through that morning. Kira and Trent followed suit.

During the battle, Kira found herself landing out of a back flip directly in front of Rito.

"I remember you," Rito hissed at her. "You're the one with the lungs," he added, as two tengas grabbed hold of either of Kira's arms.

"You want it again, bone bag?" Kira growled back, fighting to free herself.

"Uh uh uh, no you don't" Rito stated, placing his boned hand over the yellow ranger's mouth.

"Leave her alone," Connor shouted, breaking free of the tengas surrounding him. He charged at Rito at top speed, slamming the creature away from her. Startled, the tengas released Kira, who dropped down, and used a round house kick to bring them both down. "You alright?" Connor asked her.

"I'm fine."

"Trent?" Connor called to the white ranger who dropped five tengas in one series of kicks. The white ranger looked over at him and nodded affirmative.

"Had enough Rito?" Connor asked, looking back at the skeletal creature who was glaring at him.

"You're not worth it," the alien retorted, and suddenly he and the remaining tengas were gone.

"What did he mean by that?" Trent asked, jogging over to Kira and Connor. Both rangers shrugged. They were all standing in the center of the clearing where the trees had been.

"What were they doing?" Connor asked, though he knew it was more of a rhetorical question as his teammates had as much information as he did. Kira gazed around, eyes falling on the only thing that was slightly unusual. She knelt down and picked up three acorns off the ground, holding them out to Connor and Trent.

"Power down," Connor shouted after a moment of studying the acorns, and the three rangers demorphed, and Kira pocketed the acorns, as a few tones rang out through the area, indicating someone contacting them on their communicators. "Go ahead," Connor spoke into his wrist.

"Connor?" Tommy's voice came through. "I've been trying to reach you for last few minutes. What's going on? The Command Center's sensors picked up a large spike in the morphing grid."

"We had to take care of a little business," Connor replied.

"Where are you?"

"In the woods outside the park. We'll meet up with the other rangers and meet you back at the cabin to explain," Connor answered him. "You're going to want to hear this one."

"Alright, we'll meet you there," Tommy's voice replied and the connection dropped.

"You two head back to the cabin," Connor told his two teammates as they reached the trail. "I'll go to the park and get the other rangers." His two teammates nodded, knowing they were closer to the cabin than they were to the park. It was nearing the designated meet up time. The yellow and white rangers turned to head back the way they had come. "Trent," Connor called after him. "Do not let her out of your sight," he added, referring to Kira.

"Never," Trent confirmed, Kira ignoring both of them. Connor nodded and took off towards the park.

About five minutes later, Connor was seated on a park table, feet on the bench in front of him. He had his elbows perched on his knees, head clasped in his hands when Tommy, Kimberly, Adam, Rocky, and Aisha reached him, book bags and school books with them.

"Hey Connor, where are the others?" Aisha called, her greeting smile fading when she saw the worry on his face.

"What's wrong?" Adam asked him.

"We're not sure," Connor replied. "Everyone's waiting on us at the cabin. You guys mind giving me a lift?"

"Not at all," Tommy told him, before checking that no one else was around. Confirming that they were alone, the six teenagers teleported out, Rocky's hand on Connor's shoulder.

"Connor," Dr. Oliver shouted, when they arrived in the open area outside the cabin. Connor swayed on his feet, his face turning slightly green.

"Gimme a minute, Dr. O, please," the teenager asked, allowing his legs to collapse underneath him as he sank to the ground. He peered around him, spotting Ethan seated on the cabin porch steps, and head leaned against one of the columns. It made Connor feel better that he wasn't the only one struggling to get used to teleportation.

"What happened?" Dr. Oliver began again, ignoring Connor's request. His nerves were shot at that point. He'd been pacing back and forth, having had Zordon teleport him and Ethan to the clearing as soon as they'd cut communication with the rest of the team. Billy had arrived only a few minutes before Kira and Trent had entered the clearing, refusing to tell Dr. Oliver what had happened until everyone was present.

Connor waved at Trent, head in his hands, indicating that the white clad teenager could explain.

Trent sighed, and made eye contact with Dr. Oliver. "We heard an argument in the woods not far from here, and went to investigate," he began, his eyes not breaking contact with his mentor. "We didn't expect what we found. Tengas," he added in. "That thing, Rito that Kira faced yesterday, but they weren't alone. Dr. O, tyrannodrones and Chronosaurus were there. You were right." Dr. Oliver's face had drained of color at the mention of the mutations from Reefside. He'd hoped that Chronosaurus had been knocked back in time, but the presence of tyrannodrones worried him. Either the mutation brought them with him or he brought them back in time after the initial travel. Either way, both options pointed to only one possibility.

"This was planned," Dr. Oliver breathed, barely louder than a whisper, but Trent heard him.

"What?" the teenager stated, not really believing what he was hearing.

"Our trip here was planned. We were sent back to 1995 on purpose. There's no way else to explain the tyrannodrones being here," Dr. Oliver told the teenagers all who looked sick and distressed at his revelation. "Alright, so what next?"

"We morphed," Kira told him, snapping out of the stupor he'd temporarily induced. "We weren't interfering. It was Chronosaurus," she defended, as Dr. Oliver nodded, indicating she should continue. "We confronted him, but he and the tyrannodrones bailed out via invisiportal. We ended up in a short battle with Rito and the tengas."

"He tried to take Kira, I think," Connor stated.

"No," Kira said. "If I was the target, he'd have grabbed and gone. He was taunting me," she told everyone, who'd jumped at Connor's assumption. "Dr. O, how come you knew we morphed today, but not when Kim, Aisha, and I did yesterday?"

"There appears to only be a spike in the morphing grid when we use our powers," Dr. Oliver explained. "I think it has something to do with the misplaced time. You on your own yesterday wasn't enough to set off alarms. It would have been noticed, if we'd been paying attention" Kira nodded in understanding. "Was there anything else? You make is sound like they didn't initiate the confrontation."

"They didn't," Connor told him. "They did something strange to a group of trees. One minute the trees were there, and the next they were gone. But then they were back again, and then they were gone."

"Huh?" Adam, Rocky, and Kimberly all stated. Connor just nodded.

"I don't get it myself. Kira?" he offered. Kira nodded and reached into her pocket, pulling out three acorns. She passed them to Dr. Oliver who looked them over and then gave them to Billy. "We found those where the trees were."

"Billy, what do you think?" Tommy asked the current times blue clad teenager. He was studying the nuts.

"There doesn't seem to be anything unusual about them," Billy replied. "But I'll take them back to the Command Center and see run some tests."

"I'll go with you," Ethan offered. Dr. Oliver looked at the dark skinned teenager for a moment, debating about stopping him. Knowing that they'd been sent backwards in time on purpose was making him very reluctant to letting any of the teenagers out of his sight, but after a moment he nodded and waved Ethan off. The two blue rangers disappeared.

"Dr. O," Kira stated. "Chronosaurus said something about us not supposing to be there."

"That's odd," Dr. Oliver replied, taking the seat on the porch that Ethan had just vacated. "I don't like this."

"I don't either," Tommy agreed. "You said the mutant just ran from battle?"

"Didn't even engage us," Trent confirmed. "Rito turned tail when the tide of battle went in our favor."

"Sounds like Rito," Rocky stated. "Well, there's nothing we can do about it now. We don't know where they've all gone."

"Yeah," Dr. Oliver replied, "I just wish I knew what they wanted."

"Maybe Billy and Ethan will find something," Adam suggested, watching the older man rub his thumb and index finger against his eyes. He looked up at the black clad teenager and nodded.

"You three ok?" Dr. Oliver asked the trio from his own time. Connor gave him a grin, while Kira and Trent nodded.

"No trouble Dr. O," Connor laughed. "Those things wished they'd never took us on."

"Oh really?" Dr. Oliver asked him, a smirk on his face.

"Barely broke a sweat," Connor confirmed. Kira and Trent smiled.

"So you've still got some energy left for Katas till Ethan gets back?"

"Uh…." Connor trailed off, running his hand behind his head, before sighing. If he boasted that the tengas had been a piece of cake, Dr. Oliver would make him run through more of the exercises for however long it took the blue rangers to return. If he said no, his pride would be greatly damaged. Eventually pride won out of exhaustion, and the rangers broke off into small murmuring groups, while Connor was forced to run through multiple exercises under the watchful eye of Dr. Oliver.

Connor was pretty sure he was going to pass out when the sounds of the returning rangers drew Dr. Oliver's attention away. Connor instantly fell out of the proper stance for the Chinte kata he'd missed out on the day Chronosaurus had sent them back in time. Trent gave his friend a sympathetic look as all the teenagers and Dr. Oliver walked towards the two blue rangers.

"Well?" Tommy asked Billy, who shook his head, handing the acorns back to Kira.

"Nothing," he told them all. "We ran every test we could think of, and they're nothing but acorns. There's only one slight anomaly. They're nine years old, but they could have been frozen and dormant until now."

"Well, back to square one," Aisha stated, sighing. Her teammates and the dino thunder teenagers nodded.

"Thanks for checking Billy," Dr. Oliver told the teenager. He sighed and looked over his own team. "I really don't like this you guys. I want all four of you to come with me to the Command Center tomorrow."

"Dr. O," Trent complained. "Connor, Kira, and I will be useless there."

"I don't want any of you out of my sight. There's a reason Chronosaurus brought us here."

"Dr. Oliver," Tommy called out, watching the exchange between himself and the dino thunder teenagers. "They are rangers," he stated. Dr. Oliver looked at him.

"You should be on my side," he stated.

The teenager shook his head, smirking slightly. "I'm not. They know how to handle themselves. I'm all for not leaving Kira, Aisha, and Kimberly alone, but Connor and Trent made it evident nothing is going to happen to their teammate. You fretting over them isn't going to do any good."

"I agree with Tommy," Connor stated. "And since he's technically you," he trailed off, silenced by the glare from his science teacher. "Shutting up now."

"Dr. O," Kira stated. "Even if they do show themselves again, hiding out from them isn't going to solve anything."

Dr. Oliver studied the teenagers, running his hand over the back of his head, he gazed at each of their faces. Tommy and Kira both had points, but at that point, he really didn't care much for points. They were nine years in his past, being attacked by tengas and Rito who seemed bent on kidnapping one of the female rangers, along with an enemy from their current time and an army of minion dinosaur creations. They were making trees appear and disappear. And he had no idea what any of them wanted. He didn't want to let his current team out of his sight. He'd lost one set of friends, and he sure as hell wasn't going to lose a second.

"We vote for freedom," Trent told him, seeing how Dr. Oliver wasn't acknowledging them. Rocky, Connor, Aisha, Kimberly, and Adam all nodded in agreement.

"This is not a democracy," Dr. Oliver replied simply, but he met them square in the eyes. "Fine, but if anything happens tomorrow, I'm locking you all in the cabin and keeping you there until I figure out how to get us back to 2004."

"Happens to us? Or them?" Connor stated, everyone looked at him. "What? Isn't it possible that Rita and Zedd would attack them tomorrow, even if we weren't here? Didn't Saturday prove that some events are still happening in the correct time line?"

"He has a point, Dr. O," Ethan snorted.

"Fine. Anything happens that is not supposed to happen."

"Something's supposed to happen tomorrow?" Rocky asked, frowning, worry on his face. The Angel Grove teens were all casting anxious looks at Dr. Oliver, who threw his hands in the air in frustration.

"Not that I can recall, no; but even if there was, I wouldn't tell you," Dr. Oliver told them. When Rocky began to protest, he held up his hand.

"You look like a teacher when you do that," Aisha told him. He smirked.

"I am a teacher," Dr. Oliver retorted.

The teenagers all blinked at his response. "I don't think I like him," Kimberly laughed, looking at Tommy. "Do me a favor and don't become him."

Tommy grinned at her. "I'll do my best."

"So, since you're not going to the Command Center tomorrow," Aisha asked the teenagers, "what are you going to do?"

"Well," Ethan interjected, "I am going to the Command Center. Dr. O and I started work on the memory device today," he told the yellow clad girl who just glared at him. "Stop that, you already knew that's what we were working on."

"I don't want to think about it," Aisha replied, a little more angrily than she'd meant to. She turned her back on him.

"No idea what we'll do, but at least it won't be forced boredom," Connor told her.

"Well, after school, Aisha, Rocky, and I are going to be at the school gym helping to set up a dance Wednesday night and we're each allowed a guest," Kimberly told him.

"I don't do dances," Ethan stated.

"Aww, why not?" Kimberly teased. Ethan just shook his head.

"Don't worry," Billy told him. "I'm not going either," he added with a laugh.

"You're not?" Aisha pouted at him. Her friend hugged her around the shoulders.

"No," he added in. "I'm going to sit this one out and spend the evening at the Command Center helping Ethan and Dr. Oliver," Billy told her. "And you shouldn't get mad at Ethan. He's the one that's been working on how to _not_ erase our memories." Aisha sighed and nodded, smiling over at Ethan.

"I'm sorry," she told him.

"No worries," Ethan replied back. He completely understood. If someone wanted to take away some of his memories he'd be pretty against it as well.

"Well," Kimberly stated, "that does make things a whole lot simpler, or at least more even." Aisha nodded. "The rest of you want to come?"

"I don't know," Kira stated. "We don't have anything to wear to a dance. That wasn't exactly a priority at the thrift shop."

"We've got stuff you can borrow," Aisha told her.

"What do you think Trent?" Kira asked him. Trent shrugged.

"It could be fun."

"Connor?"

"Sure," he stated. "Why not? Dr. O, this on the list of approved juvenile activities?"

"I don't see why you can't. The device we're working on won't erase the dance from their minds, it'll just alter it as if you weren't there. Sure, as long as nothing dramatic happens tomorrow, you can go."

"Great," Kimberly stated, clapping her hands together once. "Alright, so Aisha and I can go with Connor and Trent," she added, catching an almost hurt look from Tommy. She leaned up and kissed him lightly. "You know you're my official date," she told him, and he nodded. "Besides, you can take Kira."

"What?" Both Trent, Dr. Oliver, and Kira stated at once. The only pink ranger started giggling, ignoring the three dino thunder rangers as she and Aisha started talking excitedly about their plans.


	12. Chapter 12

"I'm bored," Connor complained from his spot on the couch. He'd gone through just about every magazine in the cabin. Trent and Kira didn't respond. They'd spent most of the morning listening to him complain of boredom, and had run out of ideas well before to keep him busy. "I said I'm bored," he said again, still not receiving an answer from the other two. It was nearly three thirty in the afternoon. As they had promised Tommy, nothing had happened all day. Everything had been quiet, and utterly boring. He almost wondered if he would have been less bored going with Ethan and Tommy to the Command Center that morning. Standing, Connor stretched and put the magazine he'd been playing "find the picture" with for the last hour to the side. He searched the area for Kira and Trent, frowning. "You'd better not have gotten yourselves kidnapped," he stated, not seeing them in the cabin. When he still didn't receive a response, he peeked inside each of the rooms, opening the doors one by one. No one in Tommy's room, and they weren't in Kira's either. He was beginning to worry that something had happened, and Tommy would blame him when he got back.

Finally, Connor stepped out on porch, finding exactly what he was looking for. Kira and Trent were sprinting back and forth across the clearing, Trent beating Kira by a narrow margin each time. As they ran, he was calling encouragement to the girl. Connor stepped up to the edge of the porch and leaned against the column supporting the awning. "What are you doing?" he called out to his teammates.

"What's it look like?" Trent asked him, as the two finished a last sprint back towards the cabin, Kira breathing a lot harder than Trent was. Coming to a stop in front of him, Kira bent her legs backwards and up at the knee, gripping her toes with the opposite hand, stretching out her muscles. Connor didn't answer; instead he raised one eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest.

"We're just as bored as you are Connor," Kira told him. "But we can at least keep ourselves busy." She switched legs as she stretched.

"So you thought running back and forth would be a good idea?"

"We need to be prepared for anything," Kira reminded him. Connor sighed and nodded, as she walked up the stairs past him back into the cabin. She walked into her bedroom, Connor and Trent both following her and sitting down on the bed.

"It's almost time to get going," Connor told them. They were meeting the angel grove teens at the youth center and going out for pizza for dinner at five fifteen. The teens had all had plans for that afternoon. Like they'd said, Kim, Aisha, and Rocky were busy with decorating the school gymnasium for the dance the following night. Billy was helping Ethan and Dr. Oliver at the Command Center, and Tommy and Adam had a couple of karate students they were mentoring.

Kira was rummaging in the closet through the clothing she'd bought at the thrift shop, trying to pick something to wear. Satisfied, she pulled an outfit into her hands, and turned back to the boys, leaving the closet door open. "I'm taking a shower. I'll be ready to go in a bit," she told them. Trent nodded, as she walked out of the bedroom and turned the corner, entering the bathroom, shutting the door with a click. A moment later the boys heard the water start.

"What are you doing?" Trent said, glancing up at Connor. He was no longer sitting beside him. Instead he was looking through the closet, returning with a cardboard shoe box he'd grabbed off the top shelf.

"Wonder what this is," Connor stated. He sat back down on the bed, sideways, one leg tucked under him. Trent frowned at him, but turned his body so that they were facing one another with the box in between them. Connor pulled the top off the box and began to pull out the items from inside it. Trent shrugged; if you can't beat them, join them. He pulled a couple items from the box as well.

"Dude," Connor snickered, "these are love notes."

"Yeah, from Kimberly to Dr. O," Trent stated, a grin on his face. He unfolded one of the notes and started reading.

"You mean from Kimberly to Tommy?" Connor stated.

"Is there really a difference?" Trent asked him. Connor shrugged and picked up a photograph. This one showed a boy younger than the current version of their mentor. Instead of long hair going past his shoulders, the boy had his hair in a style similar to a mullet. He wore and green and white checkered sweat shirt, and he was sitting at a table in the youth center. Across from him, a slightly younger version of the Kimberly they had met was wearing a pink floral skirt and button down jean sleeveless shirt, her hair tied back in a half pony tail. Both were looking at the camera smiling. He passed the picture over to Connor. "Must have been just after they broke the spell," Trent told him, sifting back through the box. Connor nodded, looking at the picture and then pulling out a few more photographs.

The boys kept at it for a few minutes, never noticing the sound of the water stopping in the bathroom. Fifteen minutes of rifling through photographs and letters later, Connor and Trent looked up to footsteps approaching them, hearts stopping for a moment before they realized it was Kira, standing in the doorway wearing a black V-neck top with yellow cap sleeves and a yellow skirt, her hair wet and loose over her shoulders, her tooth brush in her mouth.

"Hi Kira," Connor stated innocently, as Trent tried to put all the evidence of their snooping back in a box. Kira just blinked at both of them, removing the tooth brush from her mouth. She turned her back on them and went back into the bathroom. Stunned that she hadn't yelled at them yet, Connor and Trent just froze. A moment later she came back without the tooth brush. "Kira?"

"I swear I thought I was seeing things," she told them quietly. "But nope. You two were going through Dr. O's private things."

"Connor made me do it," Trent told her, pointing at the red clad teenager. Kira's eyes darted back and forth between the two.

"I'm going to close my eyes and count to five," she told them. "When I open my eyes, that box had better be back up on the shelf."

The boys immediately sprinted to do what she said. When she opened her eyes again, the box was on the shelf, the closet door was closed, and the two teenage boys looked like embarrassed little kids caught sneaking candy before dinner. Kira rolled her eyes at them, before instructing them to go get ready to leave. Still surprised that the girl hadn't yelled at them, the two teenagers took off to do what she said, leaving Kira alone in the bedroom.

By five o'clock, the three teenagers had made it to the edge of the woods surrounding the park. Having gotten use to the sound of teleporting, none of them so much as turned to look when three individuals joined them.

"All quiet on the home front today?" Tommy asked the three teenagers who nodded. "Good" he said. "I'm going to head back to the cabin."

"You're not coming to dinner?" Ethan asked him. He'd only wobbled slightly when they landed out of the teleport. Since he was doing it the most often, he was quickly getting used to the sensation. If they stayed much longer, he might be as much of an expert as the Angel Grove rangers were.

"I have no desire to spend the evening invisible," Tommy replied, hiding a yawn. "Besides, I haven't gotten much sleep. You four go. You earned it today," he added to Ethan, "and they stayed out of trouble."

"You sure?" Billy asked him, he was enjoying getting to know the older version of his friend. Dr. Oliver was a lot like the Tommy he knew, but also very different. Wiser for sure; not necessarily smarter – but he was of course more learned. They both had the same self-discipline; the same kind heart; but Dr. Oliver was more sarcastic. More of a loner than Tommy was.

"I am," he said, waving the teenagers off. "No later than nine," he told Connor and the others who nodded. He gave them a nod, and headed back down the same trail that Connor, Kira, and Trent had just arrived on.

"So," Ethan started, as the five teenagers headed into Angel Grove. "How'd your day of freedom go?"

"Connor was bored," Trent told him, laughing. He was joined by Kira, Billy, and Ethan. Connor just scowled at his teammates.

"You should have taken him with you," Kira added in.

"Doubt we would have made much progress if we had," Ethan stated.

"You're further along then?" Trent asked him. Ethan and Billy both nodded.

"Dr. Oliver and Ethan had devised a formula for the neurotransmitter distorters before I even got there. There's a few different ones; we're going to have to cause distortions in the visual, auditory, and tactile cortex zones of the brain, as well as the amygdala, to alter the emotional ties to the memories," Billy stated as they walked. Trent nodded, while Connor and Kira just shrugged, mumbling variations of "if you say so."

"Once Billy got there," Ethan added in, "we got started on compounding the chemicals. We got the visual ones done. We haven't tested it yet, but I think it'll work."

"That's great," Connor stated. He might not have understood the intricacies of how the devise was going to work once it was finished, but he knew they needed to get it done as fast as possible.

"Any idea how we're going to get back to our own time?" Kira asked the two blue clad teenagers. Both boys shook their heads.

"Negative," Billy told her. "We haven't given up on it though," he added in as the five of them reached the youth center, only to find the other five angel grove teenagers waiting on them outside. Greetings exchanged, Tommy took up the lead, escorting them all to a pizza place not far down the road.

* * *

"Please be careful tonight," Tommy's voice said through Kira's communicator around three thirty the following afternoon. Kira nodded, and then remembered he couldn't see her unless he was using the viewing globe.

"We will, Dr. O," she assured him. They'd gotten multiple lectures over the course of the day about behaving, not getting into trouble, contacting him immediately if Rito or Chronosaurus showed themselves. She wondered if her science teacher was on the verge of a mental breakdown, although if he was, she couldn't really blame him. Besides the obvious reasons, Tommy seemed to be spending less and less time around the teenagers, and more and more time in the Command Center working on the memory device. He'd asked Zordon to teleport him there even earlier that morning, leaving on Ethan to wait on Billy to be his transportation before school started for the Angel Grove rangers. The fact that the dino thunder teenagers were getting friendlier with his former teammates probably wasn't helping matters.

"Alright," he replied, and cut the transmission. Kira sighed and shook her head, leaning back on her arms where she sat on Aisha's bed. Kimberly was at the dresser, touching up the slight bit of make-up she'd put on, while Aisha was rummaging through her closet, pulling out various dresses. Kim and Aisha were still dressed in their clothes from school. Kira had on a pair of white washed jeans and a yellow t-shirt.

"Maybe we shouldn't go," Kira told the other two girls who turned to look at her like she'd grown two heads. "What?"

"He's just being a worry wort," Kimberly told her. "You'll all be fine."

"It's not like you're all helpless," Aisha added in, selecting a two piece dress. She examined it for a minute, and then tossed it over at Kira. "Try this. I think it'll fit and I think you'll like it."

Kira caught the dress and smiled, heading into the bathroom that adjoined to Aisha's room. Ten minutes later, she walked back into the girl's bedroom wearing the borrowed dress. The top of the two piece outfit was white with halter style straps that wrapped behind her neck. The entire top was adorned with a few simple beading designs. The bottom was a yellow skirt with two layers, both that went from her waist to just past her ankles. The bottom layer was a satiny material, while the top was a sheer chiffon. The dress didn't hug her body, but it didn't flair out either. "What do you think?" Kira asked, spinning around slightly. Ever since the day the meteor had messed with their personalities, Kira had learned she needed to let her guard down every so often and allow her girly side out.

"Gorgeous," Kimberly told her. While Kira was gone, both ninja rangers had changed as well. Kim's dress had a similar silhouette to Kira's, except it was one piece with medium sized triangular spaces cut out on either side of her torso. The dresses straps were thin spaghetti straps, and of course the dress's satin material was in a pale blush pink. Aisha's dress was a velvet material in a dark golden shade, which flared out a bit more than the other two girls at the waist. Her neckline was a scoop shape with black cap sleeves on each of her shoulders. The back of the dress dropped slightly lower than the front, leaving part of her back exposed.

"Stunning," Aisha added in, handing Kira a pair of white strap sandals with slight heels. "Now, let's see what to do with your hair.

Dressed, hair and make-up done by four thirty, the three girls headed down the stairs into Aisha's living room. Kira had been introduced to the girl's parents as a new friend from school when she'd arrived with the ninja rangers earlier that afternoon. Now, the two adults stopped the three girls, camera in hand.

"Mom," Aisha had whined.

"Oh please," her mother had commented. "Just one picture?"

"Fine," Aisha had sighed, pulling Kimberly and Kira closer to her on each side. The three girls smiled, then blinked a few times when the flash went off.

"See, now," Aisha's mother told them, "that wasn't so bad." Aisha rolled her eyes, while the other two giggled.

"The boys picking you up soon?" her dad asked the three teenagers.

"Actually Mr. Campbell," Kimberly told him, grabbing her purse off the kitchen counter. Aisha was doing the same. Kira didn't have one. Not that she needed one, having nothing of any value with her. "We're meeting them at the youth center before going over to the dance."

Aisha's dad grunted a bit and stiffened up. "In my day, young men picked young ladies up at the door for a date," he told the three of them as Aisha came up and gave him a hug.

"Dad, it's not a date," she told him, laughing. "We're all going as friends." She paused, noticing he wasn't letting things go. "Besides, you know all the guys and Adam and Rocky have been my friends since we were in kindergarten," she reminded him.

"Fine," he grumbled, his wife laughing but assuring him that he should let the three girls go. Aisha gave her mom a slight kiss on the cheek before the three of them walked out the door and down the steps the lead up to the house. They'd barely gone a few feet when they caught sight of five teenage boys waiting on the corner. Two of the teenagers wore borrowed clothing, black dress slacks and button down collared shirts in red and white. The one in white had an added grey tie. The other three wore suits, one black with a black and white striped tie, one in a dark brown with a swirled red pattern on the tie, and the last in a grey with a silver tie, his long hair pulled back in a ponytail. All three girls gave them looks when they'd reached them.

"Did you really think we'd let you walk alone?" Tommy asked them, wrapping his arm around Kimberly, he leaned down and gave her a light kiss. "Hey Beautiful."

"Hey Handsome," she replied, wrinkling her nose a bit. Kira, Connor, and Trent looked away, all trying not to gag. They were trying to forget that Tommy was just a younger version of their science teacher, but it wasn't really working.

"Wow," Trent stated, looking over at Kira. She blushed slightly, and fell into step beside him. Trent reached across and took hold of her hand as Aisha, Rocky, and Adam moved into the lead of the group. The eight teenagers fell into easy conversation as they walked the distance from Aisha's house to the school gymnasium.

"Ready to go in?" Rocky asked them when they reached the door. Tommy kissed Kim lightly again and stepped away from her, offering his arm to Kira, who blinked a few times, but remembered they needed to be with the Angel Grove teens until they were inside the dance. Blushing again, this time because she was slightly weirded out by the situation, she took Tommy's arm. Why hadn't Kimberly suggested that she go escorted by Rocky or Adam? That would have at least be easier to handle. Trent and Connor offered their arms to Kimberly and Aisha respectively, as Tommy led the group inside.

The teenagers entered underneath a neon and black light glowing balloon arch, and took in the decorations. There were neon colored balloons and streamers covering the ceiling. Star shaped black lights illuminated the dance floor and the stage where a local band was playing. The tables were covered in neon colored plastic table cloths, and strewn with confetti. "This is so 90s," Kira commented, eliciting laughter from the other teenagers in her group, as she smiled. Tommy led the group over to a vacant table on the side of the room. Rocky, Adam, Kira, and Kimberly all sat down immediately.

"I'm going to get some punch," Tommy told Kim, lightly touching her arm. She nodded.

"You want some?" Trent asked Kira who nodded as well. Trent nodded back and caught up to Tommy.

"Well, I want to dance," Aisha stated, looking at Rocky and Adam who both shook their heads.

"No way," Rocky told her.

"Too early," Adam added with a laugh. "You'll have us exhausted within the half hour."

"How about you Connor?" Aisha said, turning her attention away from her childhood friends.

"Sure," he stated. Aisha grabbed his hand and led him out onto the dance floor, leaving the others laughing behind. Tommy and Trent passed them on their way back, shaking their heads and laughing, as they fell into seats beside Kimberly and Kira.

For the most part, the night was uneventful. Aisha spent most of the evening on the dance floor, accompanied by either Rocky, Adam, or Connor at varying points in the night. Often, they'd find themselves dancing near Tommy and Kimberly who were pretty much inseparable. Kira and Trent danced a few times as well, but mostly stayed at the table, talking with the other rangers when they came back to take breaks and catch their breath. The band had been playing mostly party songs all night.

Tommy, Kimberly, Trent, Kira, and Rocky were sitting at the table towards the end of the evening when the band decided to play a slow song. Kim jumped up and kissed Tommy lightly, before holding her hand out to Trent, who looked at her in surprise. "What?" she giggled. "You are my date after all. You should dance with me at least once," she told him. "If Kira doesn't mind."

"Not at all," Kira laughed. "Go," she told him, shooing them away. As Kimberly dragged him out onto the dance floor, Trent mouthed the word 'Traitor' back at Kira who just grinned.

"Want to dance?" Tommy asked her suddenly, breaking her eyes away from following her traumatized teammate. Kira stared at him for a moment, failing to think of a reason why not that wouldn't hurt the teenager's feelings.

"Sure," she said, as he grinned, stood, and held his hand out to her. Tommy escorted Kira out onto the dance floor.

"You have to touch me," he told her, when she just stood there.

"Oh right," Kira laughed nervously, placing her hands on his shoulders. Tommy smiled, and placed both of his hands on her waist. They began to move side to side in circles like the rest of the teenagers around them. Taking in her surroundings, but mostly trying to look anywhere but at Tommy's face, Kira noticed Kimberly and Trent off to one side, while Connor was on the other with Aisha, who actually had her head against his chest. She tried to make a mental note to talk to him afterwards about that.

"You ok?" Tommy's voice shook her from her thoughts. Kira looked up at him, startled again. "If this is too uncomfortable, we can always sit down," he added grinning. With his hair pulled back, he resembled her teacher even more. It was a bit more than unsettling, but she shook her head no. It would have been rude.

"No, its fine," she told him with another nervous smile. "Ok, it is a little weird. You are my science teacher after all."

"Not yet," he reminded her. Kira nodded, shifting a more genuine smile onto her face. "He seems lonely," Tommy remarked to her. "Is he ok?"

"I think seeing you all is just bringing back memories for him. Most of the time he's not so brooding. If you mean, is he happy," she told him, "I think so. He's usually with us, or with Haley," Kira added. "And he does talk to Billy sometimes."

Tommy took in her information, and nodded. "He's lucky to have you guys," Tommy told her.

"You're disappointed in him," Kira remarked, studying the teen's facial expressions. He sighed and nodded. "Don't be. You're a great person now, and you'll be even greater. Things happen and they change. _You_ ," she stressed, "might not be happy with how you think things have turned out, but you're going to make a huge difference in so many lives, including ours."

"I guess," Tommy told her, sighing. He gazed over her shoulder and let his eyes fall on Kimberly and Trent who were laughing as Trent spun the pink clad girl around. "I just wish… what happen?" Kira had followed his gaze.

"I honestly don't know anything about that," Kira told him, drawing his attention back to her. "Whatever happened, it made you into the man you are in my time who is one of the few rare real heroes. Tommy," she told him, "just be happy with what you have now and don't worry about it."

Tommy smiled at her, nodding. As the song ended, he gave her a tiny kiss on the cheek catching her off guard. "You're sweet, Kira," he said leading her back to the table where Adam had joined Rocky. Kimberly and Trent joined them only a second afterwards. Trent caught Kira's eye, but she looked away from him, blushing again. Tommy had just kissed her which meant that technically, Dr. Oliver had kissed her. Yeah, it'd been a friendly peck on the cheek, but she was definitely weirded out, especially because now Trent was there. Her head was starting to hurt.

"You ok?" Trent asked her, hugging her around one shoulder. Kira nodded, stepping out of his hug and falling into a chair.

"Yep, just thirsty," she lied, taking a sip of her cup of punch that she'd left behind when Tommy had asked her to dance. Trent accepted her answer and fell into the seat beside her.

"Where are Aisha and Connor?" Kimberly asked. "I saw them dancing," she added in.

"Outside on the patio," Rocky stated a little too quickly, and with a slight tone of anger in his voice.

"O-K," Kimberly drew out both syllables while Adam cast a worried look at his best friend. "Anyway, I'm going to go freshen up. Kira want to come?"

"Sure," Kira stated. For once, she kissed Trent lightly on the lips before following Kimberly away from the group. After her slightly shock, she knew that would be one step toward returning to a normal frame of mind. Laughing, the girls chattered over the events of the night as they visited the rest room slightly down the hallway that was outside the gymnasium's doors.

"What's up with Rocky?" Kira asked Kimberly as they left the bathroom. Kimberly just shrugged. She opened her mouth to answer when suddenly the two girls found themselves surrounded by tengas, led by Rito. Before either girl could even react, the tengas grabbed hold of them, pinning their arms to the sides, and lifting them off the ground slightly so they couldn't get any leverage with their feet. Rito pulled out a bandana from somewhere; Kira really didn't want to think about where, seeing as the creature didn't have any pockets, and quickly placed it in the yellow clad teenager's mouth, securing it with a knot behind her head.

"Can't have you screaming now can we," Rito told the girl with a laugh. Kira glared at him. Rito turned his attention away from Kira and onto Kimberly. He studied her for a moment.

"Let me go you rotting corpse," Kimberly hissed at him, struggling to get free or at least reach her communicator on her wrist.

"Not happening, pinky," Rito replied. He looked at the tengas. "Yep," he stated. "She's the one, let's go. Oh, and leave the other one. One ranger is more than enough to handle."

"But boss, won't she tell the others?" One of the tengas holding Kira as she struggled to get free.

"Let her tell," Rito told them. "Once Chronosaurus has this one, it won't matter who knows."

"Right," all of the tengas squawked, disappearing with Rito, taking Kimberly with them, and dropping Kira to the floor. As soon as she was free, Kira yanked the gag out of her mouth, her eyes wrinkling in disgust for a moment before she pulled her wrist to her face. She didn't even wait for a reply, but spoke immediately into it.

"Hey guys," she stated. "Rito just kidnapped Kimberly from outside the bathroom."

"We'll be right there," was the response she got from both Trent and Connor. Mere moments passed when all six of the other rangers present reached her while Kira was still pulling herself to her feet. She glanced at Connor for a moment, noticing his face was slightly flushed red. She frowned at him, knowing that the race over to the bathrooms would not have caused the red color on his cheeks. She was pulled out of her thoughts by a shout from Tommy.

"What happened?"

"Rito and the tengas just appeared out of nowhere. They were ready for us," she stated, holding out the gag she had picked back up off the floor. "Rito was sure this time. They just grabbed Kim and left."

Tommy looked pale and was, for the moment, speechless. Sensing this, Rocky stepped toward her. "Let's go to the Command Center," he stated, taking the lead. The other rangers nodded. Rocky put his hand on Trent's shoulder, while Adam and Aisha did the same with Connor and Kira.

When the seven rangers materialized in the Command Center they broke Billy, Ethan, and Dr. Oliver out of their concentration over a metallic looking device with a bright white glowing half sphere at the center.

"What happened?" Dr. Oliver immediately asked, his eyes searching all of their faces, racing over to the teenagers. Kira, Connor, and Trent just leaned against the consoles, figuring the other rangers would explain.

"Where's Kimberly?" Billy stated, looking towards his own leader.

"Are you guys alright?" Ethan asked his three teammates, who nodded to him.

"Kira and Kimberly were on their way back from the bathroom when Rito attacked," Adam put in. "Rito took Kimberly and fled." Dr. Oliver turned just as pale as Tommy did, while Billy and Ethan wore stunned looks.

 _ **Rangers!**_ Zordon called, drawing the group into the heart of the Command Center. _**Alpha has established a lock on the signal from Kimberly's communicator.**_

"Ay yi yi yi yi… I'll try to create a visual image of her location," Alpha told them.

"Hurry Alpha," Aisha encouraged him, watching as the small robot flipped several switches and pressed several buttons. The dino thunder teenagers couldn't make much sense of what he was doing, but the other rangers seemed to be assured of his abilities.

"There," he stated. "I've got her."

 _ **Behold the viewing globe!**_ Zordon told them. The five Angel Grove rangers instantly oriented themselves to see the large spherical device at the front of the Command Center. Dr. Oliver pointed his current team in the correct direction. As the image appeared, the teenagers could make out the form for Kimberly, eyes shut, breathing steadily. Her arms and legs were bound at the wrists and ankles, and she dangled from the ceiling, arms pulled up over her head. In her mouth, secured behind her head was a gag similar to one Rito had tied on Kira. The background filled with reddish brown stalagmites and stalactites showed that she was in a cave some place. She was surrounded by a crowd of moving tengas and tyrannodrones, confirming that both times enemies were involved.

"Zordon," Tommy spoke, "Can you tell where she is?"

 _ **Affirmative Tommy. Kimberly is being held captive in a cave in the Tibetan Alps.**_

"At least she's not on the moon," Rocky stated with a bit of a sigh.

"Right," Tommy said. "Zordon, can you teleport us to her?"

 _ **Negative white ranger. Sensors indicate that there is currently an immense blizzard raging in the area. Any attempts to teleport you through it could result in catastrophe.**_

"We have to do something, Zordon," Aisha cried.

 _ **When the snow storm stops, Alpha and I should have no trouble getting you there, Aisha. Until then, we will monitor the pink ranger's status. You should all go home and rest. I will call you once it is safe to teleport to the mountains.**_

"I can't go home without Kimberly," Aisha protested. "My parents will freak."

"Would they believe you were both sleeping over at my place?" Kira offered. "Dr. O can give you the cabins phone number to give them if they ask."

"That would work," Aisha stated, with a nod.

"Right then," Dr. Oliver stated. "You all go home, Aisha can go with the kids. I'll stay here with Zordon and Alpha and keep an eye on things."

 _ **No, Dr. Oliver.**_ Zordon informed him. Dr. Oliver spun away from the teenagers and almost glared up at Zordon. It took him a moment to realize exactly who it was that was contradicting him. _**We may need your help in the rescue efforts. It will do us all no good if you are exhausted.**_ Dr. Oliver sighed, defeated, and nodded. He cast a look at each of the nine teenagers, his eyes lingering on Tommy the longest. The younger version of himself hadn't taken his eyes off Kimberly in the viewing globe, and his face was turning slightly green.

"Alright Zordon," Dr. Oliver stated. "Let's go. We'll come back first thing in the morning," he said, walking over and placing his own hand on Tommy's shoulder, drawing the teenager out of his stupor. The teenager turned to look at him, and Dr. Oliver placed his other hand on the teens other shoulder, meeting his gaze. "You can't go to pieces. They," he stated, jerking his head at the five Angel Grove teenagers all who looked worried and scared, but hadn't stopped watching their leader, "need you."

"Ok," Tommy muttered after a minute. "He's right," Tommy told them, although he didn't sound completely sure. "There's nothing we can do now. She seems alright for the moment, and Zordon and Alpha will contact us if things change. The only thing we do for her now is to make sure we all get enough rest to kick those things to Mars tomorrow."

The other teenagers nodded somewhat reluctantly, but they did what both versions of Tommy suggested, Billy and Adam helping Aisha teleport the five dino thunder rangers back to the cabin, and promising to come back in the morning to bring them all to the command center. As soon as they were inside the cabin, Tommy disappeared into his room after giving Aisha the phone number to give her parents, and telling the teenagers not to stay up too late. Aisha and Kira had gone into Kira's room to call the Angel Grove teen's parents, and Trent had begun to fix up his bed on the sofa, bidding Connor and Ethan a good night as the teenagers climbed the stairs.

"Dude," Ethan whispered to Connor. "Why do you keep blushing?"

Connor grinned at Ethan as they reached the loft and began getting ready for bed. "Aisha and I made out tonight," he told him. Ethan just stared at Connor, dumbstruck.

* * *

Ok guys, so unfortunately updates are definitely going to slow down now. I go back to work officially tomorrow, so writing time will start to shrink. I'll try to continue the two chapters at a time thing, unless I start going too long between updates, then you'll probably get one.

Hope you like where this is headed. I'm sure a few of you can guess. And I know some things that may have happened, or may happen in the future are cliché and corny, or unrealistic – but this is the power rangers. These guys were turned into chemical liquids and footballs, among other things. Anything I may do is entirely plausible.

Please leave a review if you're enjoying. As always, I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks,

Fateless


	13. Chapter 13

I'm going to preface this chapter with a little word of warning. I'm sure most of you are aware that this is a power rangers fic, based on the original MMPR – not the 15 minute grity adult version on you tube (which I did think was quite good, btw). Strange, often bizarre things happened. The rangers were liquefied or turned into footballs. They got peed on by strange faucet monsters and when they fought monsters, sparks exploded. A city was demolished and rebuilt constantly, seemingly overnight. So when you read this chapter, please keep in mind that cheesy, bizarre moments are common place, and anything I might write, is not out of the ordinary.

Thanks – Enjoy – Fateless

* * *

The sun had barely risen Thursday morning when Adam, Billy, and Aisha teleported into the Command Center with the five dino thunder teenagers, each with bags underneath their eyes. Not a single individual had slept well the night before, if really at all.

"Any news?" Dr. Oliver asked, rushing forward to the consoles where Tommy and Rocky were already going over information, casting furtive looks at the viewing globe that was still focused on Kimberly. The girl's position hadn't changed, and it still appeared as if she was unconscious. Both Tommys were taking it as comfort that at least it meant the girl wasn't aware of her situation and as a result, probably wasn't scared. They were all scared enough for her.

"The storm hasn't fully let up yet, but it has decreased," Tommy replied. "Zordon, I don't know how much longer we can wait."

 _ **Agreed Tommy**_. _**I am fearful of how long Kimberly has already been in the hands of Rito and Chronosaurus. I believe the storm has lessened enough to make teleportation into the mountains relatively safe.**_

"Right," Dr. Oliver stated, nodding, happy to hear that news at least.

"Rangers!" Alpha called. "The storm still poses a threat. It will interfere with and weaken the strength of the teleportation sequence. I fear we do not have enough power to get you all safely there, _and_ bring you back."

"How many of us can you teleport safely, Alpha?" Adam asked, looking around at the teen rangers in the room. Rocky stood near Aisha and Billy, casting strange looks every so often back at the dino thunder teenagers who stood off in their own group. Dr. Oliver was still nearest Tommy and the viewing globe, neither man being willing to look away from the pink clad teenager. If they'd all been able to go, Adam had no doubt that they would have succeeded. After all, a force of ten rangers would be extremely strong. As it was, Adam was just hoping Alpha's answer would at least leave the rescue team at full strength.

 _ **We should be able to bring back eight of you safely, Rangers. However, there are no guarantees; especially if the storm picks up.**_

"Alright," Rocky said. "That means seven of us can go. Kim will need the eighth spot for the trip back."

"So who goes and who stays?"

"I'm going," both Tommys said at the same time, and then grinned at each other. Tommy smiled wide, while there was something a little darker in the smirk Dr. Oliver returned to him.

"We're going too," Connor said, indicating his team. "I have a feeling Chronosaurus is responsible for this, meaning it's our responsibility."

"Connor's right," Trent stated. "It's our job to fix this."

"I agree," Ethan stated, "but I'd rather stay here. I think I could be of more use remaining in the Command Center, monitoring you guys and working on the device for when you succeed."

"Are you sure Ethan?" Kira asked him. She had nodded in agreement when both Connor and Trent spoke up. Ethan nodded, and Dr. Oliver returned it with his own head shake of approval.

"I'll stay with Ethan," Billy put in. "We'll be more successful together," Billy cast a nervous glance at the viewing globe. He'd served alongside Kimberly even longer than Tommy had. His leader came up and patted him on the shoulder.

"That leaves two spots," Tommy looked at Adam, Rocky, and Aisha.

"I'm not letting you boys have all the fun," Aisha told him immediately. "Count me in."

"I'm going as well," Rocky said. "Alright with you frog boy?"

Adam nodded in response. "Bring her back safe ape man."

"You got it," Rocky replied, as he and Adam clasped arms.

"Alright, you all ready?" Tommy stated. The six rangers accompanying him all nodded. Connor and Trent stepped up on either side of the teenager with the long hair as Aisha, Rocky and Tommy pulled out their morphers. Trent, Connor, Kira, and Dr. O each flicked their wrist. Shout of "It's Morphin' Time (followed by White Ranger Power, Yellow Ranger Power, Red Ranger Power; Dino Thunder, Power Up!; and White Ranger, Dino Power!" filled the command center, and in an instant, seven fully morphed rangers were standing in the command center, along with three unmorphed ones.

"We're ready Zordon," Dr. Oliver told the Eltarian. Zordon gave him the slightest nod in return.

 _ **May the power protect you; Alpha, initiate the teleportation sequence.**_

"Ay yi yi yi yi… as you wish Zordon. I just hope this works." The small robot pressed a sequence of keys and the seven rangers teleported out of the command center.

"Can you get a lock on them when they land, Zordon?" Adam asked.

 _ **Unfortunately no, Adam. It's taking all our remaining energy to maintain the lock on Kimberly.**_ Adam set his mouth in a grim line and nodded, wandering over to the viewing globe to watch, while Ethan and Billy got back to the work they'd been doing. He just had to hope that the trip would be successful and he'd soon catch a glimpse of his friends on the viewing globe.

Sometime later, seven streaks of light materialized on the side of a mountain in a light snow storm. Snowflakes swirled around them as the wind howled, making it hard to hear anything quieter than a shout. All seven rangers swiveled back and forth on the balls of their feet, surveying their surroundings.

"I can barely see ten feet in front of me," Rocky called out. "How are we going to find her?"

"We'll have to take shelter to think," Dr. Oliver replied, shouting above the wind.

"Where?" Kira asked him.

"There's a cave over there," Tommy pointed to an opening in the mountain side about thirty yards away from where he stood. If not for the gold on his and black on Trent's uniforms, both white rangers would have been nearly invisible in the conditions generated by the storm.

"Let's go," Connor shouted, and began walking in the direction Tommy had pointed out. The other six rangers followed him, carefully watching their footing, and bracing themselves as they walked against the wind. It took them longer than expected to reach the crevice. They'd had to stop several times along the way when the wind blew hard enough to completely erase their vision. A couple of times a few of them lost traction and slipped, or stepped into a snow bank and had to be pulled out. By the time they reached the cave, all seven were freezing.

"Ok," Aisha stated, rubbing her hands together for warmth. "What now?"

Tommy and Dr. Oliver each removed their helmets, prompting the other five rangers to do the same.

"Kimberly can't be far from here," Tommy said, positive that Zordon would have teleported them as close as possible. Aisha and Rocky both nodded. "Dr. Oliver, you're the most experienced. I vote you take command."

"Are you sure?" he asked his younger self. "She's your teammate."

"I want her safe," Tommy replied. "You're our best hope for doing that."

"Alright," Dr. Oliver replied. "When we find her," he told the group, "Kimberly is the priority. Take down as many tengas and tyrannodrones as necessary, but get to Kimberly. Whomever gets there first is to take her, and go. The rest of us will cover your retreat. Contact the Command Center and teleport back. I want you all partnered up during the retreat. You're responsible for making sure your partners get out. No one gets left behind."

"Right," they all stated, nodding.

"Tommy, you and Rocky are with me. Kira, you're with Trent; Connor, you and Aisha." Dr. Oliver called out. He completely missed the slight blushes on Connor and Aisha's faces, as well as the grumble from Rocky at the announcement of the last pair. He missed it, but Tommy didn't, frowning slightly at his friend. "Last thing," Dr. Oliver said, "Chronosaurus may be our only hope of returning to 2004. Unless absolutely necessary, do not destroy him."

"Got it Dr. O," Connor stated.

"You can count on that," Kira confirmed. Trent, Rocky, Tommy, and Aisha nodded affirmative, as strange noises of footsteps started coming towards them from deeper inside the cave. "What's that?"

"Shh," Dr. Oliver stated, motioning the other six rangers into a corner of the cave behind stalagmites. They all ducked down as two beings came into sight – Rito and Chronosaurus, both carrying lit torches.

"Listen," Rito was saying to the dinosaur like creature. "I got you the moon dust you needed, but we've waited long enough. The power brats ain't showing, and I can't wait around any longer. Tell you what," he stated. "You bring down the white ranger, and I'll tell my sister and her hubby Ed about you. You don't, well, they ain't going to want an alliance with ya." Apparently, Rito had been working with Chronosaurus, but without Rita and Zedd's authorization. Chronosaurus responded back to him, but the rangers couldn't make out what was said. "No can do, Chrony boy. Time to fly. Let's go tengas," he shouted back down the cave. One moment later the skeletal alien had disappeared, and a flock of tengas came streaming up out of the depths of the cave, taking flight as they reached the mouth and flying out into storm. The rangers watched Chronosaurus disappear back into the depths of the cave, mumbling, and in a much fouler mood than he'd been a moment ago. As soon as they decided it was safe, Dr. Oliver led the rangers back out into the open.

"Well, that was certainly interesting," Connor stated.

"What do you think that was about Dr. O?" Trent

"I think I figured out what Chronosaurus meant by us not supposing to be here," Dr. Oliver stated. He was looking at Tommy, his face going a little white. "Perhaps you should teleport back," he told the teenager.

"No way," he replied. "I don't care if that thing is trying to wipe me out."

"If he kills you, he kills me, and those three rangers don't exist," Dr. Oliver told him pointing at Connor, Kira, and Trent. His voice was normal volume, but fear was evident in it. The teenagers had never heard him sound so scared.

"What's going on, Dr. Oliver?" Aisha asked, not completely sure what the older man was saying.

Dr. Oliver looked at her and then shook his head, sighing. "Chronosaurus never meant to bring the dino thunder rangers back to 1994. He was using me as a focal point for his time hole; the Z-rex blaster must have resulted in a bigger hole than he'd planned. It brought us with him."

"So he planned to come here this whole time," Rocky stated. "I thought you suspected that."

"I suspected that he'd brought us here on purpose," Dr. Oliver replied, with a sad shake of his head. "But he's not after us. He's after me, or well, he's after Tommy. He knows who I am. He knows my history. Mesogog must have told him. He's planning to destroy me, before I can become the black ranger."

"But how?" Kira asked, looking back and forth between the two versions of her science teacher. "Tommy's already a ranger. It's not going to be exactly an easy task. You said it yourself, the white ranger powers were some of your strongest."

"I don't know, Kira," Dr. Oliver replied. "But I'm certain Tommy's his target. Kimberly's just the bait."

"Doesn't matter," Tommy told them. "Now that we know, I'll be more careful," he told his older self, "but you know I'm not going to abandon her." Dr. Oliver looked up and saw a look of determination he recognized from the mirror. Of course the teenager wasn't going to give up. He sighed and nodded.

"Alright then. But you need to be extra careful. Anything goes wrong in there, Rocky, you pull his butt out, kicking and screaming if you have to."

"Yes sir," Rocky said, a slight laugh in his voice as he saluted the black clad version of his leader, as a small attempt to lighten the tension in the room. Tommy, Aisha, Connor, and Kira all smiled. Dr. Oliver and Trent just nodded.

"Back to action," Dr. Oliver stated, holding his helmet over his head. The other six followed suit, and a moment later, all seven were slowly making their way down the cave, using the white and red ninja ranger's helmet lights to see by.

It didn't take them long to find the antechamber of the cave where Kimberly was being held. The tengas may have vacated, but there was still a small army of tyrannodrones between the rangers and their captive comrade. Chronosaurus was tinkering with his lantern looking device just beyond the hanging pink ranger. In the center of the roof was a large hole that admitted ambient light.

"Any chance we can sneak over there and get her down without being noticed?" Rocky asked, surveying the situation. Tommy and Dr. Oliver both shook their heads no. "Didn't think so," Rocky sighed. "Let's get this over with."

All seven rangers charged into the center of the room, startling Chronosaurus and his minions. They came to a halt in the center of the antechamber, immediately dropping into fighting stance as the tyrannodrones regrouped and circled around them, postures threatening.

"Give it up, Chronosaurus," Dr. Oliver shouted.

"You can't take us all down," Tommy added to the threat.

"Let her go, and no one has to get hurt," Rocky put in. The dinosaur creature laughed manically, its eyes falling on Tommy and never releasing.

"I'd say someone has to get hurt," the mutation retorted. "Tyrannodrones! Attack!"

Within moments the rangers found themselves in battle with the small army.

"How the heck do you beat these things?" Aisha shouted, back flipping away from one, before a second shoved her into a third.

"Kick them till they're down, and they stay down," Trent suggested.

"Right," Tommy stated. He found himself back to back with the other white ranger. Both nodded to one another and together, they engaged several of the tyrannodrones in battle, utilizing a series of kicks and punches, Trent bending over and letting Tommy use his back as a spring board at one point.

Connor and Rocky found themselves in a similar position. With a quick nod of acknowledgement, both ranger turned back to back, linking at the elbows. Rocky leaned forward slightly, lifting Connor off his feet, and spinning. This allowed Connor to land powerful kicks on the chests of the tyrannodrones.

Aisha used kicks to the ankles to bring down most of her foes, using summersalts and jumps to evade or engage new opponents.

Kira found herself captive at one point, a tyrannodrone attached to each of her arms. With a shout, she swung both of her arms down, flipping the two creatures onto their back. As several more approached her, she leaned forward and let out a ptera scream, sending them flying backwards.

Dr. Oliver pulled out his brachio staff, swinging it around and used it, coupled with several moves known to Tommy and several moves the teenager had yet to learn, he took out multiple dinosaur mutations in a short span of times.

However, it seemed that no matter how many of the creatures the seven rangers brought down, they just kept coming, wave after wave. It seemed like Chronosaurus had a never ending supply. And the rangers were beginning to tire. As they tired, they made mistakes. The battle started turning in favor of the tyrannodrones and it wasn't long before several punches and kicks to the back, stomach, and heads resulted in most of the rangers finding themselves restrained within the grasps of several tyrannodrones each. The only ranger not incapacitated and screaming insults at both the creepy minion creatures and Chronosaurus was Dr. Oliver, although he couldn't do anything, seeing as Chronosaurus had conviently situated himself just behind the dangling unconscious pink ranger. How she stayed knocked out throughout the commotion, Dr. Oliver would never understand.

"Give up Chronocreep," Dr. Oliver shouted.

"Not likely, Black Ranger," the mutant hissed. "This isn't your fight. You're not supposed to be here," it reminded him.

"Well, I am here," Dr. Oliver shouted back.

"Not for long," Chronosaurus shouted back. "At least not once I destroy him," the mutant had locked its beady eyes on Tommy again.

"Not a chance," both versions of Tommy shouted at him, the younger still struggling to get free, while Dr. Oliver charged toward the mutation, who stepped backwards behind Kimberly, bringing the only black clad ranger to a halt. The mutant fumbled with the device that the dino thunder teens had seen him within the woods that they had thought was a lantern. Looking at it now, Dr. Oliver realized it was a clock with multiple faces and way more hands than necessary. The creature fiddled with several of the hands on the clock and then turned to face the rangers.

"One blast of this," he told them, "and I'll have all the power I need to destroy the white ranger, and ultimately you. And then with you and the other power rangers destroyed, my master will be able to return the earth to the era of dinosaur rule!"

Chronosaurus set the clock on broken stalagmite just to the side of and in front of the dangling Kimberly. He aimed the device at the rangers, and pressed a button. The air between the seven rangers and the clock started to swirl. Several things happened simultaneously. The six captive rangers stopped struggling as the tyrannodrones released them suddenly, as they fell to the floor without support, and Dr. Oliver screamed "No!" a horrified look on his face. At that point he knew there was no choice. He was going to have to destroy Chronosaurus. He wasn't sure what the clock was capable of, but he was pretty sure the outcome wouldn't be good. He swirled the brachio staff in a circle, the arc creating a full sphere of power, and shouted "Energy Orb!" releasing the blast, praying it wouldn't hit Kimberly, at the exact same moment as the clock emitted blast of blinding light in the opposite direction. The resulting blast reverberated backwards, knocking Dr. Oliver into the air, and sending him crashing down on a series of rocks. He felt himself power down, and briefly registered the screams of the six other rangers behind him as he blacked out.

The blast was so loud that in drained all hearing from anyone still conscious. Kimberly, slowly blinked her eyes open, her ears ringing. Spots swirled in her vision as the last of the light from the blast shrunk in on itself, leaving the chamber only lit by the shaft of light coming from the hole in the roof. The first thing that Kimberly noticed as she slowly took in her surroundings was a dull ache in her arms stretched above her head that was slowly beginning to become sharper as she paid attention to it. She craned her head back, trying to assess the cause of the pain. The blast had torn through the gag in her mouth, and she spit against the last of the material, wincing slightly as derbies on her face slipped into the cuts it had made on the edges of her mouth. Groaning, she realized her arms were attached by a rope, which now appeared to be frayed, to the ceiling. She slowly scanned the area, looking for any sign of the creatures that had kidnapped her and tied her up. For several moments her vision was filled with nothing but empty space and the features of the cave's antechamber. Finally, she cast her eyes down toward the ground, but she couldn't see beyond the reach of the light source. She swept her eyes closer to herself, allowing them to finally land a figure closest to her, immediately recognizing the long haired demorphed teenager with several bruises and cuts on his face. Realizing he wasn't moving, Kimberly inhaled and screamed. "TOMMY!"

The teenager jerked in response, almost as if Kimberly's scream was an unconscious trigger. He groaned and rolled himself off the stalagmite he'd been draped across, face down, and onto his back on the hard ground, coughing slightly. "Tommy?" Kimberly's voice called, not as loud, but just as urgent. The teenager groaned again, and pushed himself into a sitting position, leaning on his left arm and using his right hand to cradle his head.

"Did anyone get the license plate of that bus," he groaned, blinking slowly as he tried to let his eyes adjust. He registered breathing around him and the slow dripping of water from several of the stalactites into puddles of water around the antechamber. He glanced up in the direction of Kimberly's voice, only to see she was conscious but still secured to the ceiling.

"A little help here," she asked him. He nodded, and pushed himself to his feet slowly, and began walking towards Kimberly with the intention of freeing her. He was only a few steps away when a water droplet landed on his nose. A second drop flew past him and landed in a puddle of water at his feet. His eyes followed the third water droplet as it flew past his face, his gaze coming to rest in the puddle as the ripples faded out. His eyes went wide and he stopped walking, his mouth fell open slightly as he took in each contour of his face and the brown hair spilling over his shoulders. Several more droplets of water fell, creating more and more ripples. "I don't think now is the time to be admiring your reflection," Kimberly stated, breaking him from his trance. He looked up at her and blinked, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Or maybe he'd been in denial since Kimberly's scream had brought him back to the realms of the conscious. He couldn't remember how she'd addressed him since he'd opened his eyes. "Tommy?" she asked him again. "Are you alright?" She'd done it again. Or had she? He wasn't fully processing things, but he fought the urge to just collapse, knowing he still had Kimberly to rescue. He could freak out later. He stepped over the puddle and reached her, yanking on the ropes with all his strength. Even frayed, he couldn't rip through them, and he frantically, started patting at his jeans noticing they felt a little looser than he remembered from that morning. He reached into pocket and pulled out the pocket knife he'd taken from the cabin. He immediately began to saw at the ropes with his right hand, wrapping his left arm around Kimberly's waist. As soon as the rope holding her to the ceiling was free, she lowered her arms around his neck. He pulled her closer and set her down on a large rock. She freed his neck, and he cut through the ropes binding her wrists together. As she shook out her muscles to prevent them from locking up, he leaned forward and cut the ropes on her ankles. Then he flipped the knife closed. He glanced up at the ceiling, thinking about the fact that Adam, Billy, Ethan, Zordon and Alpha were probably watching on the viewing globe, and he hoped they were less confused than he was. He slowly turned his gaze back to Kimberly. Her dress was torn in multiple places, and besides the cuts on the edges of her mouth she had bruises on her wrists and ankles from the tightness of the ropes, and a few bumps and scrapes on her head. She reached forward and ran her thumb over a deep scratch on his cheek, causing him to wince in pain. At that point, he realized he wasn't dreaming, as last time he checked, dreams didn't hurt. "You haven't said anything," she told him. "Tommy, are you ok?"

He gulped, and slowly shook his head. "I'm not Tommy," he whispered, drawing out the space in between each word. Kimberly frowned at him, as he gestured to his clothing. Only at that point did she realize that her teenager rescuer was dressed completely in black.

Kimberly's eyes began to roll back into her head and she swayed slightly. "No no no no you don't," he told her frantically, grabbing hold of her and shaking her, not gently. There was no way she was leaving him to deal with this on his own. Whatever this was. Holding her in one arm, he leaned forward and dipped his hand into the cold water in front of him. "Don't you dare pass out on me, Kimberly Ann Hart," he shouted at her, splashing the freezing water onto her face. She swayed and groaned, but she sat up under her own power, her eyes settling back on him.

"But how?"

"Chronosaurus," he muttered, sighing and looking around for the creature which was nowhere in sight. He was pretty sure the energy orb had done what it was supposed to and destroyed the creature, as much as he didn't want to admit it. He hadn't wanted to do it, believing the creature might be the only way home, but it had left him no choice. Now that Kimberly had confirmed that he definitely wasn't dreaming, the shock was starting to wear off and he was able to think straight again. He pushed himself to his feet, and walked over to where he'd last seen the creature, searching the ground. Kimberly struggled to stand, and swayed a bit on her feet. Once she was confident in her balance, she walked over to join him. "He did it with this," he told her when he heard her footsteps approach. He didn't turn to look at her, but instead lifted the clock to show her. It was greatly damaged, but not destroyed. Several of its hands were bent in strange directions, and pieces of its faces were missing.

"I don't understand. Why would he do this?" Kimberly stated. She paused when he didn't answer her. "You came alone?" she asked him. His eyes flew open and he dropped the clock on the ground.

"What? No! Shit," he shouted, turning and scanning the antechamber. In his surprise, he had forgotten that he was only one of seven on the rescue missing. The light didn't reach very far, but if he struggled, he could just barely make out several small shapes on the ground. Smaller than they should have been. He dashed off in the direction of the nearest body, reaching a boy in an oversized red t-shirt, with his hair in a rat tail. He dropped to his knees next to the boy. Kimberly took off after him, stumbling a bit as she fought the muscle cramps in her legs, realizing what his shout had meant. She went to the next body, a small girl in a yellow shirt that fit her like a short dress. She lifted the girl into her lap, and stroked her black braided hair with her hand, her mouth slightly gaping open, shocked at the sight.

"Rocky? Come on Rocko! Wake up for me!" Kimberly looked up, noticing the teenage boy was shaking the child. The boy blinked slowly and coughed, his lungs expelling some of the cave dust that he'd inhaled during the blast. He looked up and locked eyes with the teen. "Tommy?" the teenager shook his head.

"No buddy," he told him. "I'm Dr. Oliver," he stated simply, smiling a little in relief that Rocky had stired. He helped the child sit up, before releasing him and moving to the next small body, a boy in a white t-shirt and black shorts that would definitely not stay on his waist if he stood up, with short cropped black hair.

"Huh?" Rocky asked, looking over at Kimberly, who was cradling a familiar African American girl, rocking her back and forth, murmuring to her. Realization dawned on him, as he looked down at his own hands, noticing they were smaller than he remember. "Oh man," he groaned, "not again."

"Afraid so, Rocky," Dr. Oliver called back to him, realizing that for the angel grove rangers it must not have been too long ago that they'd take a trip back to childhood. Dr. Oliver turned his attention back to rousing Trent, leaving Rocky to clutch his head, still trying to get his bearings. A few moments later, he had Trent roused, and even standing. Rocky noticed he was talking in a soft reassuring voice to the boy he didn't recognize. Kimberly was doing the same with Aisha, who seemed to have opened her eyes.

Rocky pulled himself onto his knees and crawled towards the nearest body. A second white clad boy lay on his stomach on the ground, breathing steadily. The boy's long hair was pulled back in a characteristic ponytail. Seeing him, Rocky realized this was Tommy. He began to shake the boy back and forth, not stopping even when he heard the boy groan. Tommy cracked one eye open slightly and peered at Rocky, instantly recognizing him from their last trip backwards. "Again?" he grumbled, pushing himself onto his knees. Rocky just nodded, looking over at Dr. Oliver and Kimberly who did not appear to be making any progress with the last two remaining unconscious children. Both Connor and Kira were dressed as the other four children were – baggy t-shirts that extended down to their knees, and discarded pants. Both appeared to have large bumps and bruises on their heads.

"It's no use," Dr. Oliver was telling Kimberly. "They're not going to wake up. I know you're injured too, but…"

"I can carry, Kira," Kimberly confirmed with a nod.

"When we reach the mouth of the cave I can contact Zordon to teleport us back," Tommy stated. He left Connor's side for a moment and walked back over to the clock he'd dropped. He picked it up and then returned to the small boy's side, scooping him up easily with one arm. The only male teenager looked over at Rocky and Tommy. Of the four conscious children they seemed to be handling the situation the best and were the most coherent.

"Rocky, Tommy, help get Kira onto Kimberly's back," he ordered them. The two boys moved immediately to do as they were told. "Trent, Aisha," he said a bit more softly. Both kids looked up at him. "You ok?" Aisha nodded, but Trent shook his head no. He hadn't stopped staring at Kira since Dr. Oliver had woken them up. "Aisha," Dr. Oliver instructed, "I need you to reach into my pocket. I've got a flash light." The girl nodded and did as he asked. She turned the beam on, as Dr. Oliver shifted Connor higher into his arms and made sure the clock was secure in his other hand. "Kim, can you take Trent's hand. I think he's too stunned to move on his own."

"I got him," she replied, hoisting Kira higher on her back. She wrapped one arm under the girl's legs, and used the other hand to take Trent's. The boy jumped slightly, his eyes slightly glazed over as if he wasn't fully functioning on his own.

"Aisha, Rocky, Tommy," Dr. Oliver stated. "Lead the way out please," he told them. The three kids did as he asked, Aisha handing Tommy the flash light and falling back to stay a bit closer to the two teenagers. When they reached the entrance to the cave, Dr. Oliver flicked his wrist, startled when his morpher did not appear. "Damn it," he cursed, frustrated. "Kim, I'm going to need your communicator."

She walked closer to him, keeping Trent at her side. He had shifted his grasp onto her dress as if terrified to let go. She pressed a button on the communicator and lifted her wrist to Dr. Oliver's mouth.

"Tommy," Billy's voice broke through nearly immediately. "What's going on? The blast knocked out the connection. Since then all we've been getting is static."

"Not now, Billy," Dr. Oliver replied. "Zordon, we can't teleport ourselves."

"Locking onto your DNA signatures now," was Alpha's response over the communicators. A moment later, eight streaks of light teleported off the side of the mountain.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed the twist, whether you saw it coming or not. I've begun chapter 14, but it's now where near ready for posting. But I thought you'd waited long enough for this one.

Please Review.

Thanks,

Fateless


	14. Chapter 14

"Tommy," Adam shouted in surprise when eight individuals materialized in the command center. Dr. Oliver and Kimberly moved to lay the two still unconscious children down on top of empty consoles. "What the fuck?" he stated, seeing the two small children. Normally he wouldn't have cursed, but this was not normal. This was even more bizarre than anything that had happened to them previously.

"Bro, language," the small boy in red told him. "There are children present." Adam stared at him, mouth falling open as he followed the familiar voice down toward the floor of the Command Center.

"Adam," Aisha stated, coming up on his other side. Adam spun, expecting to find a girl who came up to his chin, and finding that he had to look a lot further down. "Relax," she told him. Adam just closed him mouth, frowning, unsure how to respond to that. His two best friends were tiny children again. Why shouldn't he relax? He looked around the room. Besides the tiny figures of Aisha and Rocky, he recognized younger version Tommy, and then identified the final three children as being Trent, Connor, and Kira. Which ultimately meant that the teenager in black that he'd thought was his team leader was actually Dr. Oliver, regressed the exact same amount of years as the teenagers had been, so that he was now roughly the same age as the remaining teenagers. Adam leaned back against a wall, and slowly let himself slide to the floor, bending his knees up and crossing his arms over them. He laid his head on his arms, mumbling incoherently. Aisha and Rocky walked over to him, each sitting down beside him.

"Frog boy," Rocky laughed, trying to find any humor in the moment that he could. "It really isn't that bad," he told him. Adam just glared at his friend from underneath the fold of his arms, but his mumbling did stop.

"How is this possible?" Billy asked. He and Alpha had instantly brought scanners out to check the vital signs of the eight returned rangers. Confirming that apart from being a little cold from standing on the top of a Tibetan mountain for a little in nothing but t-shirts, Tommy, Rocky, and Aisha would be fine. Trent was still slightly in shock, but physically he showed no harm aside from a few bumps and bruises. Alpha gave Kimberly some ointment to put on the cuts on her mouth. Aside from that, she also was ok. Dr. Oliver had a few bumps, and the antiseptic Billy gave him, stung in the cuts on his skin. Connor and Kira were the worst off, but their vitals were strong, and now that they were no longer in a cold environment, they were beginning to rouse. In answer to Billy's question, Dr. Oliver handed him the broken clock.

"Chronosaurus did it," he replied. "With this."

"Dr. O?" Ethan asked him, confusion on his face, as he walked closer to his mentor, who was now about the same age as he was. "Is that really you?"

"Yes Ethan," he replied, sighing, pushing his hair out of his face, reminding himself that he was perfectly happy he'd decided to cut it.

"What happened?" Ethan asked, nodding as he slowly accepted what the teenager told him.

"Chronosaurus wasn't after the dino thunder rangers," Dr. Oliver replied, directing his answer not at the teenager who'd asked, but towards Zordon. "Not directly, at least. His plan appears to have been to come back here, without us, and destroy me in this time by regressing me into a child. The clock was his tool. He brought us by accident."

"Was?" Adam asked him. Dr. Oliver nodded.

"Had to destroy him," he replied. He sighed and looked at Billy. "Can you fix it?"

"I don't know," Billy replied. "It'll take some time to be sure, but maybe."

"But Dr. O," Ethan stated, his mouth fumbling to form the words. He was having a really hard time addressing the individual who was apparently no older than himself as a doctor. "Why would he have needed to come back here to do that? Couldn't he have just regressed us in Reefside?"

Dr. Oliver shrugged his shoulders in response. "I have no idea," he replied. "But Rito mentioned something about moon dust, and only telling Rita and Zedd about Chronosaurus if he managed to destroy Tommy."

"So, Rito was acting on his own?" Adam put it, from his still seated position. Rocky and Aisha, with a little help from Tommy seemed to have calmed him down. Aisha sat between his legs, leaning back against his chest, while Rocky still sat beside him. Tommy was leaning against the console on Rocky's other side, arms crossed over his chest as he listened to everything. Kimberly remained near Kira, Connor, and Trent, watching for the two still unconscious youths to wake up.

"It seems like it," Tommy volunteered the information, with a shrug of his small shoulders.

 _ **That may be one bit of good news, Rangers,**_ Zordon stated. _**I feared what might have happened if Lord Zedd and Rita ever knew the identity of the Black Dino Thunder Ranger as it would be impossible to seal their memories. For now, it appears that that bit of information is safe.**_

Dr. Oliver nodded again, looking over at the two teenager turned children who were beginning to blink their eyes open and the small boy in the white shirt standing near them, a blank look on his face. He walked towards them, kneeling down, and taking Trent's hand in his own, he spoke softly to the boy, still trying to reassure him.

Kira turned her head and looked at him, slowly catching sight of herself in a reflection off a casing just over his shoulder. "Dr. O?" she muttered, quietly. The current teenager reached over to her with his other hand.

"Hey Kira," he told her with a gentle smile. He didn't want her to freak out like Trent was. "You ok?"

Kira nodded, sitting up slowly, and swinging her legs over the console. She held her head in her hands for a moment, before looking around for a few moments, taking in both the familiar and unfamiliar faces around her.

"Dr. O," she said again. "I'm eight."

"Yeah," he replied. "I know."

"I don't want to be eight," she told him matter of fact, causing Dr. Oliver to laugh slightly.

"I know that, too. You haven't asked why," he told her. Kira shook her head.

"I heard," she stated, indicating the device that Billy and Ethan were currently working on. Ethan had looked up and given her a small smile when he realized his teammate had stirred. She tried to smile back, but it was a little weird, so instead she blushed and looked away. To her side, Connor groaned. Dr. Oliver jumped slightly, and then cast a worried look between the boy in red and the boy in white on the floor. "Go," Kira told him, with a slight nod in Connor's direction. "I've got Trent," she added, sliding herself off the console and onto the floor. She stepped closer to the boy who was still taller than she was, and put her hands on his shoulders, moving her body until she was able to lock his gaze with her own.

"Thanks," Dr. Oliver stated as she did that, releasing Trent and going to Connor's side. "Connor? You alright?" he asked the child as he helped him into a sitting position. Connor blinked a few times, adjusting to the light and studying the teenager in front of him.

"You're wearing black," he stated, frowning. Dr. Oliver smiled gently, nodding. "Only Dr. Oliver wears black. Well, and Adam," he added, with a slight nod to the other black ranger still on the floor. Adam nodded his head once. "You're not Tommy," he stated simply, causing Dr. Oliver to snicker slightly.

"He's not as dumb as he looks," Ethan stated, walking over to his friend. "You alright buddy?" Connor inhaled deeply and looked around the room. Billy was working with Chronosaurus's device, Adam was surrounded by three unrecognizable children, and Kimberly who had joined him on the floor. A teenager who looked like Tommy stood in front of him, while two children, one he vaguely recognized stood just behind the teenager. The girl was talking gently and urgently to the boy, who nodded every so often.

"I take it things did not go according to plan, Dr. O?" Connor asked, meeting his teenage teacher's gaze.

"You seem relatively calm about this," Dr. Oliver replied, after nodding in answer to the question.

"No sense in panicking," the red leader of the dino thunder teenagers explained. "Besides," he added, nodding to the other three children. "They're calm."

"They've been through this a few times," Dr. Oliver stated.

"A few?" Aisha suddenly asked.

"What do you mean a few?" Adam put in.

"Um…" Dr. Oliver stated, turning to look at the two others. In the chaos he'd kind of forgotten the time line. Rocky had confirmed that they had experienced a trip to the past while they'd all been in the cave, but they wouldn't do so a second time for a while yet. In fact, that wouldn't happen until after Kimberly had left the team to take part in the Pan Globals in Florida. Dr. Oliver ran his hand through his hair, fingers catching, as he wasn't used to the length.

"Are you telling me we're going to be turned into kids again at some point?" Tommy asked him. Even Billy had looked up from where he was working. All six Angel Grove rangers had their eyes locked on the teenager in black, who finally sighed and nodded.

"Should have known," Rocky muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. He and the other Angel Grove rangers did not look happy.

"At least Zordon was able to program the morphing grid last time so that if it ever happened again, we'd remember who we are," Aisha put in. Tommy, Rocky, Kimberly and Adam all nodded agreement, despite the fact that Adam and Kimberly weren't in the same predicament.

"Dr. O?" a new voice added in to the conversation. Dr. Oliver turned around, letting his eyes fall on Trent. "You're going to fix this, right?"

Dr. Oliver tried not to show Trent his worry. He was just glad that the teenager turned child was communicating again. Kira had his hand held tightly in her own. Although she and Connor hadn't said anything, he could see the fear in their eyes as they looked at him, their teammate's question reverberating in the looks they gave him. He gave the three of them a small smile and nodded. "Somehow," he told them. "I promise. How's it going Billy?"

"To be honest," Billy told him, looking up from the device and over at Dr. Oliver. He almost did a double take, scanning the room for his actual leader. Tommy gave him a slight nod to continue, and Billy tried to put the strangeness out his mind. "I'm not sure I even know where to start. This thing is almost totaled," he told the teen in black. "What did you do to it?"

"Energy orb?" Ethan asked and Connor stated at the same time. Despite the chaos, Connor had watched as in panic, his teammate had used the brachio staff to send an immense sphere of power straight at Chronosaurus in an attempt to destroy the creature, even knowing it would mean trapping them in the past. Dr. Oliver nodded.

 _ **Rangers, there is nothing more you can do for the moment. Alpha and I will investigate the time device that Dr. Oliver has brought to us. Although you currently maintain your adult memories, your bodies are those of children and it has been a long morning. You must go now and rest.**_

"Zordon," Tommy spoke up, blushing slightly at his own voice, and casting a look at Kimberly from the corner of his eye. The last time he'd been a kid, she'd been one too and they hadn't really remembered their adult selves. This time, he was much more self-conscious, especially as there still was a teenager version of himself present. "I want to stay and help. Fix this as soon as possible. It's my responsibility."

"Zordon is right, Tommy," Billy told him, shaking his head. "I'll come back tomorrow and resume work. Even if we can't fix the device, I'll find a way to restore your ages. But you really should rest."

"And you all need some clothing. You can't run around in t-shirts all day," Kimberly told him with a smile which caused Tommy to blush bright red.

"Why don't we all go back to the cabin?" Ethan suggested, mainly keeping an eye on his three regressed teammates. Kira and Connor looked alright, but he wasn't a hundred percent sure that Trent wasn't going to pass out. He was also concerned about how long the other two had been unconscious. He looked over at Dr. Oliver who nodded.

"Good idea, Ethan. Kimberly, Billy, would mind getting them some stuff to wear?" he asked. "Adam, Ethan, and I will take care of lunch."

"Right," both Kimberly and Billy replied. Zordon nodded, and assisted in teleporting the entire group back to the grassy area outside the cabin. The three teenagers helped steady the three children not used to teleporting, while the other three kids landed on their feet. The nine individuals all gathered around on the porch of the cabin, falling into an uneasy silence. Minutes passed, while the only sound was the wind blowing through the trees. The only movement was the rippling across the small lake, and Kira spinning blades of grass in the fingers of her free hand. The other was still clasped in Trent's.

"Alright," Adam finally stated, looking around at everyone. His three regressed teammates jumped slightly at the angry tone in his voice. "Someone has to say it. This is ridiculous!"

"Adam," Tommy began, trying to cut him off.

"No," Adam told him, shaking his head. "What are we going to do if Rita and Zedd attack? Kimberly, Billy and I aren't able to take them on alone every time." There was fear in his eyes that spoke more of a worry for his friends than it did for the rest of Angel Grove. "I mean, the last time this happened, the entire world was regressed! No one was any wiser! But this, how are we supposed to deal with this."

"Adam," Rocky stated, calmly. "You finished?" he asked. Adam just stared at him for a minute, but then nodded his head, sighing and hanging it. "Feel a bit better?" The black ranger just nodded again, not looking up.

"We'll deal with it," Tommy told him, casting a glance over his shoulder at Dr. Oliver. He had been slightly weirded out by the situation before the regression, when he didn't fully recognize the adult version of himself. But now, whenever he looked at his older counterpart, he saw his own reflection, which was more than a little disconcerting. "And Billy will help Zordon and Alpha find a way to get us back to normal."

"Ethan and I will too," Dr. Oliver assured the other black ranger.

"And, it's not like you've only got a team of three," Ethan added. "Dr. O and I aren't going anywhere. And we're used to fighting as a team of five."

"Unfortunately, no," Dr. Oliver stated, causing the rest of them to turn to look at him. He flicked his wrist, showing that his morpher wouldn't appear.

"But why?" Connor asked him, his mouth slightly open, staring at the teenager's wrist, stunned.

"It's tied to the DNA in my cells, but my cells aren't same," Dr. Oliver stated, shrugging. "I mean, that's my theory anyway. So yeah, not going to be much help over here."

"What about this?" Tommy stated, holding out his morpher to Dr. Oliver, who took the device from the child. He stared at it, as if not believing it was currently in his hand. He studied the gold white tiger coin in the center of the device.

"Are you sure?" Dr. Oliver asked, still in slight disbelief. He looked up from the white ranger morpher and met the child's eyes.

Tommy nodded, his mouth set in a straight line. It was a little difficult turning his morpher over, but if it worked, there would at least be five rangers present to protect Angel Grove. And, it was himself that he was giving it to. "Do you think it will work?"

"No idea," Dr. Oliver replied, looking back down at the morpher.

"You've made him speechless," Connor laughed.

"That's a first," Kira added. Rocky, Aisha, and Tommy grinned, looking up at him.

"So, you going to try it or not?" Rocky asked the teenager. Dr. Oliver snapped out of his trance and nodded, stepping into the grass away from the cabin and the rest of the group. Tommy watched him, leaning on a column, crossing his arms over his chest again. He had a look on his face that was definitely not common place on a third grader.

Dr. Oliver turned and faced Adam, Ethan, and the six children, and gave them a hesitant smile. He repeated the words in his head a few times, trying to wrap his mind around what he knew he needed to say. He wasn't aware of the fact that he was standing there in silence for longer than was necessary.

"You just gonna stand there?" Connor called out to him. Dr. Oliver glared at him. He placed the morpher in his right hand, behind his back, and then put his left arm behind his back.

"It's morphin' time," he shouted, thrusting both arms forward in a pattern he had thought he'd long forgotten. His right hand held the morpher from underneath, while his left hand braced the back of the morpher, his fingers wrapping over the top. "White Ranger Power!" he added, feeling his body start to tingle with a familiar sensation. A moment later, his vision was darkened by the presence of a visor over his face. Apparently it had worked. Slowly, he reached up and undid the latches on his helmet, pulling it off he stared at it, taking in the familiar white and gold design of the white tiger on the front. He looked up at his audience, only to catch Tommy looking away.

"Alright Dr. O!" Ethan stated. Connor, Kira, and Rocky were all smiling at him. Trent, Aisha and Adam looked pleased as well.

"Well," Adam stated. "That's good to know," he added, shaking his head and standing up. He walked over to Dr. Oliver and shook his hand. "Welcome back," he added.

"Yeah," Dr. Oliver nodded, still watching Tommy. The boy had looked back at him, and gave him a reluctant smile and nod. Dr. Oliver knew he'd have to talk to the boy soon, without everyone else present. "Power down," he stated, the ranger suit disappearing. "Alright, now that we know there are plenty of Rangers around who can still stop Rita and Zedd, who's hungry?"

"Us!" Connor shouted, jumping up. Trent, who'd still be relatively quiet, and Rocky nodded agreement.

"I could eat," Kira stated.

"Me too," Aisha added, and Tommy nodded when she did, as Dr. Oliver led the crowd into the cabin.

* * *

Billy and Kimberly returned while the other nine were eating lunch. Kimberly had managed to sneak into Aisha's house and change out of her tattered dress and into regular clothing. They'd also managed to get several outfits for each of the kids, not knowing how long it would take to get everyone back to normal. Once lunch had finished and the six child sized rangers had changed into clothing that fit, everyone had gone back outside. For a while, there had been some uneasy silence, and a bit of whispering between each of the children. At one point, Rocky and Tommy had even started arguing, about nothing really. Adam had had to sit in between them to end it. The entire thing had only lasted a moment, but Dr. Oliver recalled what Zordon had told them. Due to the power of the morphing grid, their minds and memories might be that of teenagers. However, their bodies and emotions were those of eight year olds. The last time this had happened and they'd started getting grouchy and frustrated, Zordon had insisted they take a day off to have some fun. Granted, aside from Billy, the entire world had been reversed in age, so there really wasn't anyone to impress or look cool infront of. Yes, they were power ranger – super heroes who protected the world. But first and foremost, they were teenagers, who did not like to feel weird or different or out of place. When Dr. Oliver suggested that the six kids try to have some fun, they all shot him looks that basically sent the message of "we would crush you with megazord if we could." Kira and Aisha might have only been slightly taller than his waist, but even he knew to shut up at that moment. Quietly, Billy had suggested that the five still teenage rangers migrate away from the six children. Out of sight, out of mind. If the teenagers weren't around, the others might feel comfortable enough to let their guard down. One by one, Ethan, Billy, Kimberly, Adam, and Dr. Oliver had drifted into the cabin sighting various random reasons, leaving the six children on the porch. Over a short amount of time, what started as a shoving match between Connor and Trent, resulted in a rambunctious game of tag between all six out on the lawn. Watching from the window, Dr. Oliver sighed in relief, and then turned to face the other five, scattered around the cabin's living room, listening to shouts of excitement outdoors.

"That was a good idea, Billy," Adam told him. He didn't know how much longer he could have kept Rocky and Tommy from trying to pound on each other.

"I just tried to imagine what they must be feeling at the moment. This is certainly a different situation from the last time we all regressed."

"It's different from the second time it'll happen too," Dr. Oliver told them, walking into the kitchen and grabbing a bottle of water. "Anyone else want one?" A few individuals answered in the affirmative, and Dr. Oliver brought the water over, falling onto the sofa beside Ethan.

"What happens that time?" Kimberly asked. "Zordon said the alterations he and Alpha made will help maintain their memories and intelligence."

"Yeah, but both times we were turned into little kids, it was the entire world. Not just a few of us," Dr. Oliver replied, ignoring the fact that Kimberly would not be a ranger when the second regression occurred. Or was it now, the third? "So it's more complicated. When we're all turned into kids, there's no one to look like a fool in front of. They feel ashamed because their bodies want to play, and their minds are telling them that we'll think they're silly."

"That makes sense," Adam replied, thinking about how Rocky and Tommy were acting. Tommy especially kept shooting glares at Dr. Oliver behind his back. He didn't know if the other black clad teenager had noticed, as he'd been too busy trying to prevent the red and white rangers on his own team from going at in. Kira and Aisha had been mostly well behaved, if not slightly sulky. "Seems like we might need to have a talk with them. Assure them that we understand their needs."

"It's more complicated than just that," Dr. Oliver continued. "Like I said, the last times this happened, the entire world went back in age. No one noticed six missing teenagers. This time however, their parents will notice that Aisha, Rocky, and Tommy aren't seventeen when they're supposed to be."

"Good point," Ethan said, looking out the window and trying to make sense of the kids' game. They were all running around so fast, he wasn't sure he could actually tell who was currently responsible for being 'It'. "So, any ideas then?"

"Well, it's a good thing we're off of school until Monday," Kimberly stated.

"Aisha and Kira told Aisha's parents that the three of you were off camping with Kira's parents yesterday. We weren't sure how long it would take to recover you," Dr. Oliver explained.

"So Kim and Aisha have alibies," Adam added. "I can call Rocky's parents and say that he'll be staying at my place for the rest of the weekend," the angel grove black ranger suggested.

"Billy, you'd better do the same for Tommy," Dr. Oliver suggested.

"Or, you could go home," Billy stated with a smile when Dr. Oliver gave him a horrified look, and shook his head violently.

"No way. There is no way that I'm trying to be him. I barely remember what it was like to be him," Dr. Oliver retorted, looking away from the three really strong reminders of said past. "I'll stay here. Kira and Aisha can share the back room, Tommy and Rocky in the front room. Connor and Trent can share the bottom bunk, while Ethan takes the top in the loft. And Kimberly can have the couch."

"And you?" Ethan asked him.

"I'll take the recliner," he stated, "if Kim doesn't mind."

"Not at all," Kimberly told him with a smile that caused Dr. Oliver to blush and look away. "And lets' just hope we can get them all back to normal before Monday. If not, we'll tackle the school problem then."

The other five teenagers nodded, as the shouts outside started to get a bit louder. "Maybe we'd better go out there," Adam suggested, getting nods again from the others. He and Ethan led the way out, while Billy excused himself to use the rest room. Dr. Oliver and Kimberly both proceeded to the door at the same time, shoulders colliding as they didn't pay attention. With a quiet "I'm sorry," and a slight blush, Dr. Oliver indicated that Kim should step out first. She smiled slightly and nodded, stepping through the door.

Funny enough, the reemergence of the teenagers did not interrupt the kids' game. Either they were too preoccupied to notice that they had company, or in their fun they had actually managed to stop caring. Ethan and Adam sat down and started a conversation in the porch chairs, while Dr. Oliver found himself a seat on the steps, and just watched the children. If he followed the game right, Kira was currently it. Everyone was doing a good job of avoiding the small girl who was running with both hands stretched out trying to tag someone else. She almost had Connor, but he jumped to the side, twisting as he did and ran out of her reach.

"Looks like they're having fun," Kimberly said, as she sat down beside him, elbows on her knees. She leaned forward, her hand clasped out in front of her.

"Yeah," Dr. Oliver replied, peaking at her slightly out of the corner of his eye. He didn't turn to look at her, afraid he'd turn red again. There hadn't been six victims of the clock's regression powers. There had been seven. Dr. Oliver maintained his memories, and education from obtaining his Ph. D. However, at that moment, his body and emotions were those of an eighteen years old boy, not a twenty seven year old man. He was embarrassed by his own appearance, and to make matters worse, the feelings he'd once had for Kimberly weren't buried deep inside any longer. They were bubbling up just underneath the surface. Sitting beside her was making his skin flush. He didn't trust himself not to get tongue tied. And despite having no real reason why, he was terrified of making a fool of himself in front of her.

"Adam told me and Billy that Tommy gave you his morpher," Kimberly continued, watching the children play. Dr. Oliver simply nodded. "And it worked. How'd that feel?"

"Different," Dr. Oliver said simply. He did turn and look at her, knowing she'd think he was rude if he didn't. The adult part of himself didn't care, but the longer he sat beside her, the less he felt like himself. "I never imagined I'd feel those powers again."

"So each ranger power feels different?"

"It's hard to describe," Dr. Oliver told her. "But yeah. I mean, the ninja powers feel different, don't they? Not much, but you can feel a different tug on yourself with the crane than you can with the pterodactyl, right?" Kimberly nodded, understanding the feeling that he was trying to put into words. "It's like that feeling, except a bit stronger. Not more or less powerful, just different."

"It must have been hard for him," Kimberly replied, nodding to the small boy in white with his hair pulled back in a ponytail. Kira had almost caught him, but he summersaulted away from her. If anyone would have understood Tommy's reluctance to part with his power coin, it was Kimberly. She'd been privy more than Billy, Jason, Trini, and Zack to just how devastated Tommy was when he had lost the green ranger powers. He must have felt like he was losing them all over again. Dr. Oliver couldn't really respond with words. Instead he just nodded, as silence descending on the two of them. "Hey," she said suddenly, drawing not only his eyes, but his entire head to face her. "Could we talk?" she stated. Sure, they'd been conversing, but Dr. Oliver knew there were things that she had wanted to say to him, but she just hadn't worked up the courage until that moment. Either that, or she'd known that he had had the upper hand, and now he was suddenly in possession of the emotional control and will power of an eighteen year old boy.

"I… um…" Dr. Oliver tripped over his words, rubbing his hand against the back of his neck. Suddenly Kira's voice shouted out to him.

"Dr. O!" she called. "I can't catch them! Can you help me?"

Relief flooded over Dr. Oliver's face. He grinned at Kimberly, his insides flip flopping as if he'd dodged a bullet. "Sorry," he told her. "Duty calls. But maybe later?" He didn't wait for an answer, just pushed himself to his feet and started jogging towards the game. "Coming Kira," he called to the yellow ranger. His presence in the game was met by cries of "no fair" and "how come she gets help" along with Rocky stating quite loudly that if Dr. Oliver was going to help Kira, Adam was going to be on his team. Kimberly had just smiled back reluctantly and let him go, as Billy took the empty seat on her side.

"You doing ok with all of this?" he asked her, nodding toward both Tommy and Dr. Oliver now engrossed in the game of tag. Dr. Oliver had picked Kira up and was running her around after the other children, while Rocky was attempting to drag Adam into the game.

"Who me?" Kimberly asked him, trying to compose her features. "Yeah, I'm good. Confused, but good. Billy, you can fix this right?"

"I'm going to do my best," he confirmed, as they watched the game transform into weirdness with Dr. Oliver and Adam's addition.


	15. Chapter 15

Hey everyone, glad to know you're all enjoying. I love reading all the reviews, and if you sign in, I always respond. Anyway, this is the last chapter of the weekend. The ice and snow that we got on Friday has begun to disappear, and I highly doubt I'll get another snow day tomorrow, so probably won't update again till next weekend. But, as consolation, this is the longest chapter to date, by almost 1000 words.

Hope you enjoy.

* * *

Unable to sleep that night, Dr. Oliver sat in the living room recliner, a small reading lamp turned on beside it. He had a book in his hands from the random assortment contained within the cabin. The two bedroom doors were cracked open, and he could hear the four children inside breathing steadily. It had taken a while to get everyone calmed down and ready for bed that night, especially after Adam and Billy had left at a reasonable hour to not make their parents question their whereabouts. By the time everyone else had gotten into bed, it had been nearly midnight. Slight movement near him made Dr. Oliver look up as Kimberly rolled over in her sleep on the couch. He let a nostalgic smile touch his lips as he turned his attention back to his book. He was glad that the light wasn't keeping her awake, but he was anxious for daylight to come so that they could get back to work figuring out how to undo the mess they were currently in. Before the clock's regression, he, Billy, and Ethan had just about finished the memory device. When activated by the touch of the five dino thunder rangers, it would read their time signatures, identifying the point in which the time line was distorted. Once activated, the device would be capable of disrupting and blocking the memories of any other life forms that were in contact with it when activated, until after the time line distortion was removed, at which point, the device would automatically deactivate, allowing all whose memories were being locked away to regain access to those memories. Basically, when Dr. Oliver and the dino rangers were back in their actual time, the angel grove rangers would be able to remember encountering them. So, at about twenty seven years old, his friends would remember the current encounter. What they would do with the information when they got it, Dr. Oliver wasn't sure. Unknown to Billy, Dr. Oliver had convinced Ethan to build in a failsafe. If for some reason the time line could not be fully restored or the device was unable to shut down, the device would not maintain a lock on the memories. Instead, it would erase all traces of the dino thunder team. It had taken him a while to convince Ethan that it was necessary, but he had done it. He couldn't risk the Angel Grove rangers discovering their memories too early and changing his past. All that had been left was to determine a way to get back to 2004. Unfortunately now, they had to find a way to get themselves back to their true ages first. An eighteen year old version of himself did not belong in the twenty first century.

Dr. Oliver was so lost in thought and book that he hadn't noticed when the back bedroom door had creaked open, and small bare feet had padded out into the living room. It wasn't until he heard an almost silent hiccup that he jumped slightly and looked over his shoulder, his eyes catching the clock for a moment as he realized it was nearly a quarter past three in the morning. His eyes followed the sound down towards the ground, settling on a small girl with long dark blond hair wearing the yellow t-shirt she'd been wearing the day before. Except this time, the t-shirt reached her knees. Kimberly had bought all the kids clothing to sleep in, but the night gown she'd picked out for Kira had been a little too girly, and Kira had opted to just sleep in a shirt. Dr. Oliver frowned, seeing her standing there, her eyes downcast to the floor, her chin tucked against her chest, and her hand clasped behind her back.

"Kira? Everything ok?" he asked the girl quietly, not wanting to wake Kimberly. Kira didn't verbally respond, but shook her head no, her body jumping with another slight hiccup. His frown deepened as he put his book aside on the table, and he sat the recliner up right. "Come here," he told her gently. Kira did as he said, walking towards him. When she was at arms' reach, he took her hand and pulled her until she stood directly in front of her. "Look at me," he added. She shook her head again, followed by another hiccup. This time he heard her sniffle. Dr. Oliver used his other hand and lifted her chin until he could see her eyes. They were red and puffy and wet. A few tears slid down her face, although she quickly used her free hand to wipe them away. "Oh Kira," he whispered, wrapping his arms around the small girl and lifting her into his lap. He had never seen her cry before, and it broke his heart. Never mind that the situation was so incredibly bizarre. Kira was his friend, and right now, she apparently needed him to be more of an adult than she was capable of being. The moment she was on his lap, Kira wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and began to sob. Dr. Oliver rubbed her back up and down, trying to calm her the best way he could, making shushing noises. The sounds of sobs caused Kimberly to stir, but Dr. Oliver placed his finger to his lips in a silencing motion, preventing the only pink ranger in the group from alerting the girl to her presence.

Slowly, Kira's sobs began to fade, and she settled into quiet hiccups, her head still laid on Dr. Oliver's shoulder which was now soaked from her tears. Her body shook against his each time, as she started to quiet down. When he felt she'd settled enough, he pushed her back a little so he could once again see her face. "Want to tell me what that was all about?" he asked her, but Kira shook her head. "It'll make you feel better," he assured her. She didn't shake her head, but she didn't open her mouth either. She just wiped her face on her sleeve again. Dr. Oliver waited for her to decide if she would speak.

"I had a nightmare," she told him finally.

"Is that all?" he asked, a gentle smile on his face. She shook her head.

"It wasn't even the nightmare that got me upset," she said between hiccups. "I dreamt Mesogog had my parents, and Haley, and you, and Connor, and Ethan, and Trent, and I couldn't stop him because my ptera scream wouldn't work and Reefside got destroyed by Zeltrax, and then I woke up," she explained in a way only a child could have.

"That would scare anyone," Dr. Oliver assured her gently. But Kira shook her head.

"I wasn't scared. I've had worse. Mesogog will _never_ win," she told him, assured of that fact. "So I took a few deep breaths and closed my eyes and tried to go back to sleep, but I couldn't because," she mumbled the end of her sentence into his shoulder, turning her head away and blushing bright red.

"What?" Dr. Oliver asked her, seeing Kimberly sit up slowly, clearly listening to their conversation.

Kira took a deep breath and pulled away from Dr. Oliver. "I couldn't fall back to sleep because the last time I was eight years old, I still slept with a teddy bear. I guess I fell asleep earlier because I was just so tired, but now… I just can't," she told him quickly, turning red again. At that point she wasn't sure if she was embarrassed because she couldn't sleep, because she'd broken down crying over the lack of a teddy bear, or because she was currently sitting in her science teacher/teammates lap with tears on her face.

Dr. Oliver sighed slightly, placing his hand on the girl's shoulder. "Kira, we went over this. Mentally you are seventeen. But your emotional needs are tied to your physical age. It is perfectly normal for an eight year old to need a teddy bear. There's no need to be embarrassed."

"I'm just frustrated, Dr. Oliver," she stated, too mortified to call him by the usual nickname. She wouldn't look up and meet his eyes, but she nodded to acknowledge what he told her. "You won't tell the guys, will you?"

"I wouldn't dream of it," Dr. Oliver told her. "You're a yellow ranger. You could kick my butt," he laughed, helping her slide off his lap, as she gave him a nervous smile. "What do you say we get some water, and then try to get you back to bed?"

"Ok," Kira told him, as Kimberly stretched and gave them each a smile before disappearing into the bathroom. Kira had smiled back, but followed Dr. Oliver into the dining and kitchen area. She pulled herself onto one of the chairs, while Dr. Oliver poured them each a glass of water. Kira, less familiar with the sound, didn't hear the teleportation from the bathroom, but Dr. Oliver did, wondering exactly what the pink ranger was up to in the middle of the night. Ignoring it, he brought the two glasses to the table and handed one to Kira, slipping into the chair across from her. "What were you doing awake anyway?"

"Lots on my mind. I didn't realize how late it was," Dr. Oliver told her. Kira nodded, as the bathroom door opened a moment after the sounds of teleportation reached her teammate's ears again. Kimberly walked out, one hand behind her back as she approached the table.

"Sorry if we woke you Kim," Kira told her. Kimberly smiled back.

"I hope you don't mind, but I overheard your conversation, and thought this might help," she pulled a small brown teddy bear out from behind her back. The bear had curly fur and a dark green ribbon around its neck. She held it out to Kira, who reached out and took it from her, pulling it against her chest, before realizing what she'd done, and blushing slightly.

"Thanks, Kim," she muttered, placing the bear on the table. "Are you sure?"

"He's all yours," Kimberly told her, patting the girl's hand. "I'm going back to bed," she added, not wanting to cause the regressed child anymore embarrassment. She gave Dr. Oliver a nod, and headed back to the sofa where she busied herself with her blankets.

"Alright," Dr. Oliver told Kira, dragging his eyes away from the bear. He recognized it as one he had given to Kimberly during his green ranger days. He had to remind himself that in this time it hadn't been that long ago, so it made sense that Kimberly would have thought to bring it. The sight of it brought the uncomfortable feelings that he'd been suppressing back to the surface. "Back to bed," he told Kira. "No arguing. You are physically eight years old, and I will not deal with crankiness in the morning." Kira glared at him, and stuck her tongue out, but she grabbed the bear off the table and did as he told her, disappearing back into the room she was sharing with Aisha. Dr. Oliver grabbed the glasses off the table and took them to the sink, before joining Kimberly who'd just gotten back on the couch, in the living room. He picked up his own blanket off the floor and settled back into the recliner. "That was really nice of you, you know," he told Kim.

She nodded in response. "You gave him to me," she stated simply. "Well Tommy did," she added in, suggesting she did actually distinguish between the two of them.

"I remember," he confirmed, trying to keep any emotion out of his voice. He wasn't sure what she was getting at.

"Thought you might," she said with a slight smile, before rolling over and turning her back to him. "Night."

Dr. Oliver just stared at her for a few moments, dumb founded, before flipping the light off.

* * *

"Quit pouting," Adam stated simply as he and Kimberly led the way into the youth center. For a moment, one would think he was scolding one of the six children that accompanied him. However, none of the four boys and two girls were sulking. Instead, the sour face was on the third teenager with long hair wearing mostly black. "Billy and Ethan can handle working on the clock without you. Besides, they outnumber us as it is. Without you, it'd be 3 to 1."

"You act like we're wild and crazy terrors," Aisha told the teenager, ducking underneath Adam's arm as he held the door open for them.

"Might as well be," he replied to her. Aisha stuck her tongue out at him, but smiled. "Act your age!" he laughed.

"Which one?" Rocky asked him.

"Alright you guys," Kimberly cut in on the conversation before it got out of hand. "Remember the cover story. You're all part of a weekend karate camp that Adam and Dr. Oliver are running."

"And be careful to remember to call him Tommy," Tommy stated, gesturing over his shoulder at the teenager bringing up the rear. The other five children nodded. Aisha, Rocky, and Tommy had all decided on cover names. The other three hadn't introduced themselves to anyone, so there was no need to come up with fake aliases.

"I'm not sure this is a good idea," Trent muttered, following the other kids to a few tables near the counter.

"You were the ones who insisted on not spending the entire day at the cabin," Kimberly reminded him, following the group. "Hey Ernie," she added with a wave to the owner of the youth center.

"Hey Kim. Hey Adam. Hey Tommy." Ernie greeted the three teenagers. Dr. Oliver jumped, getting glares from the two teenagers and the three regressed teenagers who were not impressed with his covering skills. They may have been present in Angel Grove for over a week, but due to his ability to maintain invisibility, other than the rangers, not a single resident had spoken a word to him. No one had even known he was there. And now Ernie was addressing him the same way he would have addressed him when he was a teenager the first time. "All these kids with you?"

"Uh, yeah," Dr. Oliver told him, doing his best to compose his reaction. "Karate camp," he added, remembering their cover story. Kimberly and Aisha rolled their eyes at him, while Adam, Rocky, and Tommy snickered slightly. The three dino thunder kids smiled slightly as everyone took some seats.

"How about some smoothies?" Ernie asked with a smile and a nod. "On the house," he added in.

"Sounds great Ernie," Adam told him. "Thanks," he added in as Ernie walked off to make smoothies for the large group. "Don't get too comfortable," he told the kids, "we're going to have to make the cover story believable."

Rocky and Aisha groaned, while Tommy snickered. Connor, Kira, and Trent looked confused. "What's wrong with that?" Connor asked them.

"Dude, you train with Dr. Oliver. You should know," Rocky stated.

"Adam's almost as bad," Aisha put in. Both Dr. Oliver and Adam grinned, listening in on the conversation. The color drained from the dino thunder rangers' faces, as the six children fell into conversation.

"Nice job on the cover story," Adam told Dr. Oliver, a hint of a smirk on his face. Dr. Oliver shook his head, blushing slightly.

"He caught me off guard," he defended himself.

"Sure he did," Kimberly replied. "So, you done sulking? Adam's right. We need you here to keep the numbers more even. Especially if Ernie's going to give them sugar."

"I could have left you Ethan," Dr. Oliver replied, leaning back in his chair, and glancing over at the second table the group had gathered around. The six children were all seated in various positions, chatting and giggling excitedly. Kira and Aisha both sat on their knees so that they could easily reach the table.

"Right, because that would have gone over well. No one's going to believe I'm teaching a karate camp for six children all on my own," Adam told him. Kimberly nodded agreement with his statement.

"Smoothie's are ready," Ernie stated, carrying a tray of nine drinks over to the group. He set six small sized ones down on the table the children occupied and then brought the three regular sized ones over to Kimberly, Adam, and Dr. Oliver.

"Thanks Ernie," Kimberly said with a smile as she took hers, leaning back in her chair, and bringing the straw to her lips. She took a long sip off the straw as she followed Ernie with her eyes.

"New look Tommy?" Ernie asked, handing Dr. Oliver his drink. The question seemed innocent, but it nearly caused Kimberly to choke on her drink. Adam and Dr. Oliver wore looks of surprise as they realized Ernie was commenting on the regressed adults black attire.

"Uh, all my white clothes are in the wash," Dr. Oliver stated with a laugh. Ernie laughed as well, disappearing behind the counter. Dr. Oliver glared at Adam and Kimberly, who started laughing. "I hate you," he stated simply, knowing they were enjoying his misery. He balled up the wrapper from his straw and tossed it at Kimberly. It hit her in the face, causing her to look up at him in shock. She reached over and grabbed it from where it lay on the table and chucked it back at him.

The three teenagers let the children enjoy their smoothies for about fifteen minutes, before Dr. Oliver and Adam made good on their promise of carrying out the cover story. If they'd had their way, the group would never have left the cabin, but the six regressed children had begged and pleaded not to be locked up for the entire three days that remained of the angel grove rangers time off school. Finally, the teenagers had relented, but not before making the six kids promise to be on their best behavior. And that included listening to Adam and Dr. Oliver as they took the kids through really simple katas. Aisha, Connor, Kira, and Trent actually had to pay attention to keep up, but Rocky and Tommy just looked bored, as they practiced the movements Adam had set them to doing – movements they had learned long ago and perfected.

Kimberly had watched them for a little while, before getting bored as well. The difference was, she was free to do as she wanted. She pushed herself away from the table and walked over to the counter where Ernie was working quietly.

"Hey Kimberly," he told her, as she sat down in one of the stools across from him. "What's up?"

"Nothing much," she replied. "Just a bit bored," she added. "Karate's not really my thing," she laughed. Ernie nodded and looked over her shoulder at the six children and two teenage boys in black.

"Those two are pretty good," he told her, causing Kimberly to look behind her as well. She followed her gaze to Rocky and Tommy. Silently, she cursed herself for not thinking about the fact that both boys had retained their martial arts knowledge. If she had, she would have reminded them to fake it. As it was, the damage was done. They couldn't suddenly become unskilled.

"Uh yeah," Kimberly replied, turning back to Ernie.

"They look familiar," Ernie told her. "Are they from around here?"

"I don't think so," Kimberly replied. Ernie just shrugged. Ernie watched as she twirled her straw around in her glass, lost in thought. Normally she would have been watching Tommy work out, but there was something to strange about the situation.

"Hey Kim, are you and Tommy ok? Normally you're attached at the hip. I've never known you to get bored watching him before?"

Kimberly blinked a few times, startled by how observant Ernie was. However, despite his ability to see things the rangers didn't want him to, Kimberly was practiced in deflecting and evading questions. "Oh yeah, we're fine. He just wants to concentrate on this camp. I don't want to be a distraction," she told him. Ernie nodded, and excused himself to go to the kitchen. Kimberly swirled around on the bar stool and leaned back on her elbows, allowing her eyes to fall on both Tommy and Dr. Oliver. She tried to maintain a mask over her emotions as she considered both boys. Ever since she'd discovered what had occurred in the cave in the mountains, she'd been conflicted, and more determined than ever to talk to Dr. Oliver about the future, regardless of whether or not she would keep her memories.

Her eyes fell on Tommy as she watched him expertly execute the simple routine Adam and Dr. Oliver had demonstrated. His white t-shirt, black sweat pants, long brown hair, and his eyes were more than familiar. They were second nature to her. She had memorized them, almost to the same degree as she knew herself. But that was where the familiarity ended. And there in lay the problem. Tommy was her boyfriend. She loved him with all her heart, but when she gazed at the eight year old, slightly chubby child in possession of her boyfriend's mind, all romance disappeared. It wasn't right. She knew she still loved him – knew that the boy was her boyfriend. But any idea of a romantic connection with him dissipated when she realized she needed to look down instead of up to see into his eyes.

Kimberly shifted her gaze onto Dr. Oliver. Physically, here was boyfriend. No longer nearing thirty, but instead an identical copy of the man she'd been dancing with, head on his chest, only two nights before. Physically, this was who she was attracted to, and on occasion, if he let his guard down, just as the kids let theirs, he behaved like the man she was in love with. Which confused her. Logically, she knew he was nearly a decade older than she was. Logically, she knew that at some point in the future, between her Tommy and this one, he would cease to be her Tommy. Logic said she was supposed to be in love with the seventeen year old in the eight year olds body, and not the twenty seven year old in the eighteen year old's body. But the main problem was that there was absolutely nothing logical about the situation that they found themselves in.

Sighing, she brought the drink to her lips, following the movements of the teenage version. Part of her was entirely grossed out at the concept. He was an old man, as far as she was concerned, but she'd been attracted to Tommy since day one when she watched his competition with Jason at the youth center, back before he was even a power ranger. Mentally, he wasn't the same individual, but physically he most certainly was, and because of that, it was a struggle to shift her gaze onto any of the others.

When Adam and Dr. Oliver finally released the kids from practice, Kimberly was still at the counter, nursing the last few drops of her smoothie. Ernie had placed some glasses of water on the kids table, but left two more for the teenagers right behind Kim, knowing from experience that they would join her when they finished. Connor and Aisha lay flat on their backs on the floor, trying to catch their breath, while Kira and Trent had migrated back to the table and the water. Tommy and Rocky fell into a more advanced kata, curious to see if their smaller bodies could carry out more complex movements.

"We should have warned them to take it easy," Dr. Oliver said, seating himself on a stool and taking a drink of water. He leaned on the counter with one are and watched the two boys on the mats.

"Damage already done," Adam confirmed and Kimberly nodded, tearing her eyes away from them and onto the teenage boys beside her as Connor and Aisha drifted back to the table with Kira and Trent. Despite Dr. Oliver sitting directly beside her, Kim's body was oriented away from him, her arms crossed over her chest, all body language indicating unease and discomfort. She caught Ernie's eyes and inwardly sighed. Before Dr. Oliver could react, Kimberly shifted, leaning herself against his chest, pushing the strange thoughts out of his mind.

For his part, Dr. Oliver stiffened and blushed, but didn't jerk away, despite the fact that the alarms in his head sounded similar to the ones that would often go off in the Command Center. Adam shot him a questioning look, which he answered with one of his own. "Uh, Kim," he stated, "what are you doing?"

"Ernie's suspicious," she replied quietly. "Just go with it."

Dr. Oliver blinked, but he did wrap his free hand around Kimberly's waist. Part of him was freaking out, screaming that holding her like that was beyond wrong. However, due to his regressed emotions, this part was very small. Instead, he was mortified because of the fact that he was becoming aroused the longer she leaned against him. He hesitated for a moment, considering pushing her away, but caught sight of the strange look on Ernie's face. A loud thump drew his, Kimberly, and Adam's attention away from their thoughts and down to the mats. Tommy was flat on his back, wind completely knocked out of him, with Rocky kneeling over him on his knees, worry written on his face. The other four kids had looked up from their drinks. A few had their mouth's hanging open.

"Oh man, dude," Rocky stated. "I'm sorry. I really thought you were going to block that one," he was saying as Dr. Oliver, Kimberly, and Adam raced over to him. Adam was helping Tommy sit up slowly, while Rocky turned to Dr. Oliver. "One minute he's blocking everything. I tried a kick to his legs. I thought he saw it coming. I swear, I didn't mean to," Rocky was going a mile a minute. Dr. Oliver grabbed his shoulders, attempting to calm him down.

"It's not your fault," he told him. "We shouldn't have let you two go at it. Your emotions got away from you," Dr. Oliver added, and Rocky nodded.

"Is he alright Adam?" Rocky asked his best friend who had a glass of water to Tommy's lips. Aisha had brought it over from the table.

Adam nodded. "He'll be fine. Wind got knocked out of his lungs, and he's a little stunned."

"My head hurts," Tommy whined slightly, glaring at Rocky.

"He's fine," Adam insisted, helping the boy to his feet. "But perhaps you both could use a break."

"I agree," Kimberly put in, drawing Tommy's attention. She could have sworn she saw him glare at her, but after a moment, his face was entirely composed and resigned. He allowed Adam to lead him over to the tables, while Connor and Trent traded places with the other shrunken red and white rangers. Dr. Oliver watched them go.

"No one gets hurt," he warned both of them. The two boys waved, indicated they'd heard him, as Dr. Oliver pulled up a seat at the table. Tommy and Rocky were chugging down water.

"Well," Aisha said with a slight smirk on her face. "At least Rocky can say he finally bested Tommy," she whispered, so no one over heard the boys' actual names.

"Shut up," Tommy told her, but there was a hint of a grin on his lips.

"Maybe I can have Billy and Ethan forget that memory," Dr. Oliver told them. Kira, Aisha, Adam, and Kimberly laughed. Rocky looked horrified that he would even suggest it, and Tommy down right glared at him. No one else noticed it, but it did cause Dr. Oliver to lean back, putting more space between them.

* * *

The nine of them spent the entire day at the youth center. Adam and Dr. Oliver took the entire group of six through a few more rounds of simple katas. Eventually, they split them up and Dr. Oliver worked with Tommy and Rocky on some more advanced moves, confident in the fact that neither boy would remember how to do them until the time line was returned, or in Tommy's case he learned them at the proper age. He took some time during the afternoon to watch Adam teaching the three dino thunder rangers some moves he hadn't gotten around to, and was impressed by how well the three listened to his old friend. Even Kimberly got in on it, working with Kira and Aisha on the balance beam.

When they weren't working out, they separated themselves into small groups, the composition of the groups changing frequently. They talked, played some of the arcade games, and just basically hung out. Dr. Oliver had managed to avoid just sitting with Kimberly, always keeping himself busy so as not to put himself back in a position of faking a relationship to avoid suspicion. It was approaching evening when Ethan and Billy arrived and took in the scene. Connor and Aisha were playing an arcade game, laughing and joking around. Kimberly was practicing her own routine on the balance beam. Tommy and Rocky were sparing again, but this time under Adam's watchful eye, while Kira and Trent sat at a table with Dr. Oliver, sipping on smoothies, and chatting with one another.

"Hey Tommy," Billy called out, getting Dr. Oliver's attention. He didn't jump the same way he had when Ernie had greeted him earlier, but he didn't look comfortable with it either. "How'd it go today?"

"They're all alive," Dr. Oliver replied, getting a laugh from Ethan, who fell into a seat beside his teammates. Kira and Trent stuck their tongues out at their science teacher. "How'd your end go?" he asked, as Billy sat down as well.

Ethan laughed with a bit of a sad tone to it, and shook his head. "You did a number on that device," he told him.

"Can you fix it?"

"I believe so," Billy replied. "It's just going to take some time." Dr. Oliver nodded. "I do have a bit of an answer thought to Ethan's question yesterday."

"Which one?" Kira asked, Adam joined them at the table. Connor and Aisha migrated over to going to join the other two kids down on the mats.

"Why Chronosaurus didn't just regress Dr. O in 2004," Ethan stated. Dr. Oliver and Adam raised an eyebrow each at Billy.

"The device has a few limitations," Billy explained. "Namely, it can revert someone in age, but only by about ten years."

"Ok, so that would have left Dr. O at seventeen. But according to the video," Kira stated, "the white tiger power coin was damaged."

"You can still morph with a damaged power coin," Dr. Oliver told her. "I'm told it's a painful experience," he added, looking at Adam for a moment, before turning away from his friend, remembering speaking to him for a short time after his near death experience. "But it is possible. Besides, depending on month, I may have had access to my Zeo powers. Don't look at me like that," Dr. Oliver told Adam and Billy who both closed their stunned mouths. "I already told you there are changes in power coming. Anyway, Chronosaurus wouldn't have wanted to chance me still having any type of powers."

"That makes sense," Trent stated with a nod. Kimberly walked over with a pink towel around her neck and Dr. Oliver handed her a glass of water as she took a seat.

"Hey Billy, hey Ethan. What makes sense?"

"Why Chronosaurus didn't just revert the dino thunder team in age back in their own time. The device can only go back by ten years," Adam told her.

"That and it's powered by moon dust," Billy stated. "So now we know why Chronosaurus wanted Rito's help."

"He needed access to the moon," Dr. Oliver stated, getting a nod from both Ethan and Billy.

"So, if the device is capable of sending us back ten years, why did it only do nine?" Trent asked, a slight look of confusion on his face.

"The energy orb," Ethan told him. "It stopped the regression, just not soon enough."

"But if it can revert time, you think it can send it forward?" Dr. Oliver asked Billy who nodded.

"Affirmative," he replied. "Like I said, it's just going to take some time. We spent most of the day figuring out how it works. We'll start on repairs tomo-"

"STAY AWAY FROM HER!" a shout caused them all to jump up. It was different from the shouting they'd heard earlier. Anger laced each word. For a split second the seven individuals at the table took in the scene on the mats. Connor lay on his back, doing his best to keep the other boy in red away from him with his hands, but not succeeding. Rocky, was on top of him, aiming blows at his head with his clenched fists. Tommy was trying to pull Rocky off of Connor, while Aisha stood behind, distress evident on her face, tears in her eyes, as she jumped up and down in frustration.

"Rocky! Stop it! Leave him alone! Rocky! Knock it off," she was screaming at him, completely disregarding the fact that she shouldn't be shouting his name in the crowded youth center, as her distress overtook her forethought.

Within seconds, the other seven were down on the mats. Kimberly pulled Aisha in toward her, preventing the yellow clad girl from getting involved. Tommy had released Rocky the moment everyone else had arrived, allowing Dr. Oliver and Adam to each grab the adrenaline strengthened boy by the arms, yanking him off the other red clad boy. As soon as he was free, Ethan pulled Connor to his feet, supporting him as he wobbled slightly. Billy kept a hand on each of Kira and Trent's shoulders, preventing them from running towards their teammate.

Once separated, both boys glared at each other. Connor's lip was split, and he wasn't opening his left eye from where Rocky had landed a punch. Ethan could see the start of a bruise forming above and below, and knew that his friend would be sporting a black eye come morning. Rocky didn't have a scratch on him, which didn't surprise Ethan all that much, considering he'd had Connor pinned down. However, despite the fact that the other rangers had stepped in, Rocky still struggled against Adam and Dr. Oliver's holds, straining to get back to beating on Connor, fury in his eyes and in the snarl on his face. Connor used the arm that Ethan wasn't holding to wipe blood away from his mouth, as he glared at the struggling Rocky through his one good eye.

"What was that about?" Dr. Oliver asked, clearly angry. He and Adam still did not release Rocky. Aisha was sobbing into Kimberly's waist, as the teenager hugged the girl to her. Neither Connor nor Rocky answered him, so Dr. Oliver looked over at Tommy who shrugged.

"One minute they're sparring," Tommy stated, "next thing I know, Connor's on the ground getting his ass beat."

"I was not," Connor put in, and Rocky snorted in disbelief.

"Dude," Ethan interrupted him. "You so totally were. What did you do?"

"Nothing!" Connor replied, shrugging himself out of Ethan's hold. The blue clad teenager released him, confident that he wasn't going to fall over.

"You didn't see or hear anything else?" Adam asked Tommy. He was looking at Rocky. Dr. Oliver had released, him, but Adam still had his hands wrapped around his best friend's bicep.

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Aisha and I were just cheering them each on," he stated, glancing over to where Aisha was slowly calming down as Kimberly rubbed her back up and down. Rocky had settled down as well, but he was still glaring icicles toward Connor, and was even directing a few towards Adam and Dr. Oliver who were clearly the reason that Connor was still alive.

"You done?" Dr. Oliver asked Rocky, who didn't diminish his glare, but did nod, jerking his arm out of Adam's hold. Adam didn't take his eyes off his friend, slightly worried he'd jump on Connor again. Despite what the boy said, his anger was still clearly undiminished. "What's gotten into you? You of all people know better?"

"Perhaps this would be a conversation better held elsewhere?" Billy suggested before Rocky even got the chance to think. His eyes were darting around the youth center at all the other patrons whose attention the fight between the two boys had garnered. Ernie was watching them suspiciously.

"Everything alright over there Tommy?" Ernie asked, now that the group had quieted down.

"Uh, yeah," Dr. Oliver called back at him. "You know kids. They can't control their tempers when they're tired," he added, looking pointedly at Rocky who grumbled, but did look away, a slight red tinge coming to his cheeks at the suggestion that he really was only an eight year old kid. "I guess it's time we took them home."

"Good idea," Ernie replied. "See you guys," he stated, as the five teenagers led the six children out of the youth center. Billy led the way out, while Kira and Trent flanked Connor on either side, Ethan following behind them. Kimberly led Aisha out by the hand, followed by Rocky under Adam's watchful eye, and Tommy and Dr. Oliver brought up the rear.

"See you, Ernie," Dr. Oliver called with a wave as they all entered the hall that led to the way out of the building. Billy led the group to a secluded area, and glanced around, checking that there was no one else nearby. Once the teens felt the coast was clear, they teleported the entire group back to the cabin's lawn. While the teens could have walked the distance, they didn't want to deal with bringing six apparently tired and cranky children with him.

"Dr. O, I-" Connor began the moment they set down. Dr. Oliver held up his hand, stopping him, and shaking his head.

"You know, I really don't even think I want to know what happened," he told the teenager turned child. Connor just hung his head and nodded, as Dr. Oliver turned his attention to Rocky. "You got a better grasp on yourself?" he asked the kid. Rocky sighed and nodded. Anger coursed through his body, and every time he looked at Connor, the emotional, irrational, eight year old side of himself wanted to pound him into the ground. But now, outside the youth center, his seventeen year old brain was regaining control. He was still angry with Connor, but there was also a bit of anger and regret at himself mixed in. And he knew beating the other ranger up was not the way to solve his problem.

"I'm sorry, Connor," Rocky muttered, when Adam gave him a pointed look.

For his part, Connor muttered "whatever," back and wandered onto the cabin porch, followed by Kira and Trent. Aisha glared at Rocky, and then followed after the other three. Adam watched her for a moment, and then looked back at Rocky, seeing unhidden feelings of hurt and rejection in his friend's eyes. Tommy walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, leading him over towards the lake.

"You know what's going on?" Kimberly asked Adam, sensing a look of realization on the black ranger's face.

"I think so," Adam replied, shaking his head. "They'll be fine," he added. "They're all just tired."

"Let's make dinner and try and get them to bed earlier," Dr. Oliver added in. "And Billy, please just hurry."


	16. Chapter 16

I know I said there probably wouldn't be an update until this weekend, but I got ahead on work today, which allowed me to write the first scene (which has been bouncing around in my head for a while). Well, one thing lead to another, and I wrote for about 5 more hours straight today, and managed to finish the chapter. Hope you all enjoy. Reviews are welcome and loved.

Fateless

* * *

Tommy felt like he was floating. Not on water, with waves splashing around him, but more as if he was actually floating on air. More than that, he felt powerful, like pure energy was coursing through his veins feeding life into every one of his muscles. An electric charge took the place of his blood flow, adding to his feeling of invincibility. Tommy felt like he could take on Goldar, unmorphed, and not only win, but destroy the alien. He felt euphoric. It was one of the happiest feelings of his life. This power was different than any he had felt before. The green ranger's power had been undoubted strong, but even when he was fully in control, there was a tinge of darkness to it. This power held none of that. It was intense, radiating, and most of all, it was pure.

A stark white light shone all around him, bright enough to blind anyone who tried to look into it. But his eyes were unaffected, concealed behind the dark visor of his ranger helmet. Surprisingly unstartled, Tommy shifted his position, realizing that he didn't just feel like he was floating – he actually was suspended above the ground, the light beam surrounding him, holding him high up in the air. He gazed down below him, making out five figures attempting to see him, but not succeeding due to the brightness.

In the center of the five was a young man, roughly sixteen years old wearing his black hair cropped short, and a small ring earring, similar to Tommy's own in his left ear. The boy wore a red and orange stripped tank top that showed off his muscular arms and a pair of blue shorts. His mouth was set in a grim line, and he almost looked angry, though resigned. To this boy's right was another teenage boy, his skin a dark brown. He too wore an earring in his left ear, but his was a tiny stud. He was clad in a yellow vertical stripped shirt with black sleeves, and baggy black pants. His expression was one of disappointment, no sign of resignation. To the red clan teenager's left was an Asian teenage girl, with bangs that reached her eyes. The rest of her long black hair reached down to the center of her back. She wore a pair of dark grey slacks, almost black, and a yellow tank shirt that ended just above her naval. Her expression betrayed none of her feelings. The last two in the group of five were more familiar to Tommy. To the black youth's right, Billy stood, wearing a blue vertical stripped polo, his characteristic glasses on his face. He wore a pair of grey shorts as well. His face was tinged with a bit of sadness, but his was nothing compared to the expression of pure distress, despair, and even anger that adorned the face of the last member of the group. Kimberly stood to the left of the Asian girl, her brown hair hanging just below her shoulders. She wore a pink t-shirt beneath a pair of white jean overalls. He thought it was a bit ironic how she'd chosen to dress that day.

Tommy took in them all, as the force holding him in the air slowly lowered him to the ground. He landed in front of them, bending his knees with the impact and standing straight back up. The blinding light instantly disappeared as Zordon's voice filled the Command Center. He realized that's where he was standing. _**Welcome White Ranger. The time has come to reveal your identity.**_

Instantly, Tommy knew what he was supposed to do. He'd done it before. He reached up slowly to either side of his helmet, using his fingers to feel for the clips that held it shut over his face. He undid the left and then the right, before easing the helmet off of his head, and making eye contact with the five others in the Command Center, feelings of déjà vu taking the place of the power. Tommy watched as Billy's sadness dissipated, being replaced by his characteristic grin. He was pleased to know his friend wasn't sad anymore.

"Guess who's back?" he asked his friends. Kimberly's eyes went wide like a deer caught in the headlights, before she swayed to the left and passed out. Tommy wanted to rush to her, but his other four friends were already moving toward him, each of their expressions changed out for joy.

"I don't believe it," Billy stated. Tommy heard his voice with his own ears at the same time that he remembered the words with his memory. Trini's, for that was her name, face broke out in a wide smile as she clapped and led the group over.

"What's up man? Aww you look good," Zack, the black youth, told him.

"Thanks man," Tommy felt more than heard himself respond. Word for word, he relived the moment, he looked at Jason, the boy in red, who hadn't said a word as Trini wrapped her arms around him in a hug. No words were needed between the two of them.

"We didn't know who it was going to be," Zack expressed.

"We were all hoping it would be you," Billy added in, as Tommy and Jason clasped hands, happy to see one another. "Especially Kimberly."

"Speaking of Kimberly," Tommy replied, smiling over at the girl laying on the floor, he gently pushed his way out of the huddle his friends had locked him into and made his way over to her. He knelt down on one knee and placed his new helmet just above her head, before using his hands to cradle her head and torso. "Hey Beautiful," he told her for the first time. "It's time to wake up." Tommy blinked as he said the words. They sounded distant in his ears, almost as if he hadn't said them.

And suddenly, he wasn't holding her anymore. He wasn't near any of his friends. Instead, he found himself floating in the liquid he assumed had always existed within Zordon's tube. He was looking through the blue green liquid, surprised that he was able to breathe, out at the five unmorphed rangers, and the six half morphed white ranger with his helmet off, cradling his girlfriend. He frowned, suddenly scared. He banged his fists against the glass containing him, screaming to be let out, but no one heard him.

"I don't believe it," Kimberly stated, as her eyes opened and a smile radiated out on her face. "I must be dreaming. Is it really you?"

Tommy continued to pound against the glass, desperately trying to shatter it and free himself as he watched as the white ranger laughed and answered Kimberly's question with "In the flesh." He screamed for help. He screamed warnings that the teenager holding Kimberly was not him. He could see the teenager's face, although the other four were behind the white ranger. Why they didn't look up to see him, he couldn't understand. Tommy watched the teenager's face shift slightly, a few wrinkles, a more defined jaw line, and a tiny bit of stubble that would come as an adult. His hair grew shorter, shifting to a spiked style, and his eyes grew harder and colder. Tommy stopped pounding the glass for a millisecond, horrified as Kimberly's smile widened, joy radiating from her eyes, knowing what was about to happen. He renewed his efforts, thrashing his arms and legs, pounding on the glass, screaming at the top of his lungs, tears running down his face as Kim reached up and wrapped her arms around Dr. Oliver in the white ranger's uniform, and tilted her head back as he kissed her.

"HE'S NOT ME! GET AWAY FROM HER! LET ME OUT!" Tommy's screams and thrashing woke Rocky up from his sleep beside him, a moment before Dr. Oliver and Kimberly appeared in the doorway. Rocky sat up in bed as Dr. Oliver turned on the light. Rocky's face showed worry and concern for his friend as the eight year old white ranger tossed and turned, shouting. Rocky could see tears on his face as the boy cried in his sleep. Dr. Oliver ran to the bed and sat down on the side of it, placing his hand on Tommy's shoulder and shaking him just enough to try to pull him out of his apparent nightmare.

"Tommy," Dr. Oliver called. "Tommy wake up," he stated a few times, pinning the boy's arms to the bed to prevent him from accidently striking Rocky. He eased up on the pressure as Tommy's thrashing started to calm. Groaning, the boy slowly blinked his eyes open as Dr. Oliver released him and sat back. Tommy slowly sat up in his bed, rubbing his eyes, allowing his vision to clear. He looked up, blinking spots away from his vision, letting his gaze settle on the teenager Dr. Oliver in front of him.

"YOU!" he hissed/shouted with pure malice and hatred seeping into his voice. He drew back his right arm, his hand curling into a fist, intent on striking Dr. Oliver as hard as he could.

Rocky grabbed hold of his arm. "Whoa man, calm down, you're dreaming!" Rocky stated, catching the look of surprise on Dr. Oliver's face. Tommy did calm down, allowing his friend to hold onto his arm, but not because he was still dreaming. He was fully conscious and knew exactly who was in front of him. It was the sight of Kimberly looking worried in the doorway that stopped his fist. Tommy jerked his arm out of Rocky's hold, and then sighed, quickly wiping his wet cheeks with his arms. He didn't want Kim to know he'd been crying. She already saw him as a child.

"I'm ok now, thanks," he muttered to Dr. Oliver, not looking up at him.

"You're sure?" Dr. Oliver asked him. Tommy nodded, and Dr. Oliver accepted his answer, walking back over to the door and shutting off the light. He heard Rocky whisper to Tommy.

"You want to talk about it?"

"No," Tommy's voice was full of anger as he rolled over, his back towards the child sized red ranger. He pulled the blankets up nearly over his own head as Rocky shrugged and lay back down beside him.

Out in the living room, Dr. Oliver pulled the door mostly closed as he and Kimberly went back to the sofa and recliner. Kimberly wore a look of concern. "He'll be alright," Dr. Oliver assured her. Kimberly just nodded. He wasn't entirely sure that Rocky was right that Tommy had been dreaming when the boy tried to strike him. There was a little too much recognition in his eyes. But at the same time, he wasn't sure why Tommy would have wanted to hit him.

Dr. Oliver thought back to how the remainder of the evening had gone. When they'd all gotten inside the cabin, Kimberly had applied an icepack to Connor's eye, making him hold it there for several minutes, periodically over the entire evening. Still, despite her best efforts, the bruise was darkening. He'd definitely be sporting a black eye for a while. The cold did manage to lessen the swelling.

Adam had joined Tommy and Rocky for a little and had a talk with his best friend. Dr. Oliver wasn't sure what was said, but Adam was confident Rocky wouldn't be striking Connor again. Dr. Oliver wasn't convinced. Still, Adam and Billy had left to have dinner with their families, promising to be back the following morning. Kimberly and Ethan put together a giant pot of macaroni and cheese for the six kids, as well as themselves, and after dinner, the children migrated into different groups. Tommy and Rocky went outside. Dr. Oliver wasn't exactly sure what they were doing, but they weren't getting into trouble, and that's all he cared about. While Aisha, Kira, Trent, and Connor found an old board game, and persuaded Ethan to play with them. Dr. Oliver had been a little concerned about the fact that Aisha was avoiding her own teammates, but he knew better than to push the yellow ranger for information.

Satisfied that there would be little risk of another round of beating on each other, Dr. Oliver had left Kimberly in charge and gone out running in an attempt to clear his mind. It hadn't really worked, as all he could think about were the multitude of problems that the teams were currently faced with. However, by the time he got back to the cabin, the last of the elementary schoolers had showered and was climbing into bed as the clock neared 9pm. Clearly they were all exhausted.

So now, at nearly midnight, the cabin was silent once again, as at least four of the children were sound asleep. He was impressed that his own teammates and Aisha hadn't woken up when Tommy started screaming. The sounds had scared him half to death, thinking that the boy was being attacked. Although, looking back, not even regressed could he imagine that he would have screamed in terror, even if confronted by Goldar himself.

"Dr. Oliver, I…" Kim interrupted his thoughts suddenly. She was sitting on the sofa, leaning forward on her elbows. Dr. Oliver sighed.

"Not now, Kim," he told her in response.

"Tomorrow?"

"I promise. Let's just try and get some sleep."

* * *

Connor, Kira, and Trent sat at the dining room table that morning eating bowls of fruit loops. Aside from the fact that Kira needed to sit on her knees in order to comfortable reach over the table, it could have been a normal breakfast. Ethan had already gone with Billy, and Dr. Oliver had taken off on a run almost the instant they had left. Adam was there, talking in the living room with Kimberly. Aisha, Tommy, and Rocky were still all asleep.

"I can't believe you didn't think to get her name," Trent told Connor. The boys were talking quietly, casting suspicious glances over at Kimberly. Kira was flipping through the pages of a magazine, trying to ignore them, but catching snippets of the conversation.

Connor shrugged as he took another bite of food. "She told me once… when I first met her. But I was a bit preoccupied making sure I hadn't hurt her with the ball," he stated. "I didn't want to ask again."

"Yeah," Trent told him. "That's a sure fire way to end a relationship."

"What is?" Kira asked, catching Trent's last few words. She looked worried.

"Asking a girl her name after she already told you," Trent added.

"So Connor doesn't know the name of the woman he went out back in Reefside?" she asked, giving Connor a look of disbelief. He grinned sheepishly and shrugged. "That is so wrong. I'm glad you're not like that," Kira told Trent with a matter of fact tone. "I wouldn't want you for a boyfriend otherwise."

Trent stared at her dumbfounded. He wasn't sure Kira had even realized what she said. She was happily flipping through the pages of her magazine again, taking bites of her breakfast, and not looking up at him. She'd even sat down on her rear and was kicking her legs back and forth. Never before had she called him her boyfriend. Yes, they were dating, but it wasn't official. And now she had basically confirmed that she thought of him as her boyfriend, something he'd wanted for a while. Part of him wanted to jump up and kiss her. That was the only normal response he had. Unfortunately, the larger part of him was screaming that it was wrong. However, he couldn't tell if that was because when he looked at her he saw an eight year old, or because the idea of kissing a girl made him gag.

"Your mouth is open," Connor told him, chewing his own food with his mouth partially open. Trent broke his gaze away from Kira to glare at Connor, who smirked slightly, as if he could read his teammates mind.

"I'm going to get dressed," Kira announced, bringing her bowl to the sink and depositing it. She disappeared into the bedroom she shared with Aisha, just as Dr. Oliver let himself into the house. Trent watched her go.

"Kira's kinda cute like this, huh?" he said, thinking out loud. He blushed slightly as he realized the words hadn't stayed in his head and Connor, Dr. Oliver, Kim, and Adam were now all looking at him.

"Ewww, no way," Connor stated. "Girls have cooties." Everyone shifted their attention onto him, as Connor blinked a few times, his face going pale. "I did not just say that, did I?" he squeaked out. Adam and Kimberly nodded, while Trent broke into hysterics, and Dr. Oliver just smirked. "Ugh," Connor groaned, placing his head on the table and squeezing his eyes shut. "Billy and Ethan need to hurry up and fix this."

"They're working on it," Dr. Oliver assured the small boy. "I'm going to go lend them a hand today," he added.

"No way," Adam replied. "You're not leaving us to handle these crazy kids on our own."

"Yeah," Kimberly put in. "They're clearly losing it," she added with a laugh, gesturing to Connor who still had his head on the table.

"Between that," Adam added, indicating the two boys at the table, "and the fighting. You're staying with us."

"Wonderful," Dr. Oliver stated, falling into the recliner, resigned. "So what's the plan today anyway? If we stay here, they'll bring the house down."

"Figured we could head to the park. Spend the day by the lake. Let them run off their energy instead of beating on each other," Kimberly told him, walking into the kitchen and opening the cupboard. She pulled out a picnic basket.

"How'd you know that was there?" Adam asked her. Kimberly looked back over her shoulder and gave him a sly smile in return. Dr. Oliver turned a slightly pale shade of green. "Never mind," Adam added. "I'll go wake the boys. From what Kim said, she doesn't think they slept well last night," he said, walking into the bedroom Tommy and Rocky were sharing.

"Help me make lunch?" Kimberly asked Dr. Oliver without turning away. She was busying herself making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches from the groceries that they had. Dr. Oliver nodded, walking past the girls' room on his way. He knocked once, only to receive the response that they were getting dressed back. "You ok with the park?"

"Yeah," Dr. Oliver replied, stepping up beside her. She handed him a butter knife and the jar of peanut butter. "It's a good idea. I think there might be a kick ball or something around here that we could bring. And there's always the jungle gym, if we can get them to let their guard down."

"Connor's mortified isn't he?" Kimberly asked. Both teenagers looked over at the boy who was still sitting with his head on the table. Trent had abandoned him, disappearing into the loft to change into appropriate clothing for the day.

"Beyond," Dr. Oliver told her with a laugh. "I don't know if that's ever something he can get over."

"You're not going to let him, are you?" she asked him with a smile.

"Nope," Dr. Oliver laughed. Connor, who had been listening, sat up and glared at him. Dr. Oliver just raised an eyebrow at him. "Go get ready," he told the boy, and Connor ran off to do as he was told.

* * *

"Why are you avoiding Rocky?" Kira asked, as she and Aisha hung off the monkey bars. Kimberly sat on the edge of one of the wooden platforms at the end of it. Aisha cast a look over her shoulder to where the six males in their group were playing dodge ball. She turned back to Kira and sighed.

"He punched Connor," she stated. "It's not like him," she added, with a shrug. "I don't know. I suppose emotions are running a little high," she stated.

"Emotions are all messed up," Kimberly confirmed with a laugh.

"I called Trent my boyfriend," Kira said simply. "I've never called him that before."

"You did? How'd he take it?" Aisha asked her. Kira shrugged this time, landing beside Kimberly on the platform. Aisha followed her.

"Not sure really," Kira answered. "I didn't look at him, and ran away as quick as I could."

"Well," Kimberly asked her. "Did you mean it?"

Kira nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah," she said. "I just, well, I expected to be me when I said it. Not a pint sized brat."

"You are not a brat," Kimberly assured her.

"Kim, who are you kidding?" Aisha laughed. "All six of us are brats."

"Tommy's not," Kimberly laughed.

"Then why have you been avoiding him?" Aisha asked, hands on her hips. Kimberly glared at her, but Aisha didn't back down. Instead she raised her eyebrow at Kimberly, in a manner very uncharacteristic of a child. In that moment, Kimberly could have sworn she was gazing on her best friend's full grown face.

"I forgot you weren't eight," Kim told her, sighing.

"And now you're avoiding the question," Aisha told her. She sat down beside Kim.

"I didn't mean to avoid him," Kimberly told her honestly. "But it's weird. I know he's in there," she explained. "Just like you're in there, and Rocky's in the boy who hit Connor. It's weird. I mean, it's not as strange with Connor, Kira, and Trent, because I didn't know them as well. It's easy to let myself think of them as little kids, no offence Kira."

"None taken. In reality we are nine years younger than you," Kira confirmed with a nod.

"But with the guys, and you, Aisha, it's different. When this happened last time, we were all little kids. How am I supposed to behave when I'm seventeen, and my boyfriend is eight? Not to mention, there's another individual walking around looking just like Tommy."

"Dr. O being a teenager isn't helping things, is he?" Kira asked her.

"It's not his fault," Kimberly replied. "It happened because he was trying to save me. I'm grateful. But he looks just like my Tommy now," she stated, no longer looking at the girls, but watching the six others playing. Her eyes lingered a bit too long than was appropriate on Dr. Oliver's arms exposed by the tank top he'd chosen to wear. That morning he'd thrown on a pair of black pants, but his top was white. "But he's definitely not my Tommy. He's avoiding me, almost as much as I'm avoiding the real Tommy."

"They're both real Kim," Aisha replied with a soft smile, "but I think I understand what you mean."

"Yeah, I-" Kimberly began. Suddenly, the three girls found themselves surrounded, separated from the others by tengas. "Ok, these came out of nowhere! What's the deal?" she stated, jumping off the playground equipment and landing in the wood chips below, falling into defensive stance, one leg behind the other, and fists raised. "Stay behind me," she told Aisha and Kira.

"No way," Aisha stated, shifting into a fighting pose. Kira beside her set her expression in a determined mask. She nodded once that she agreed with Aisha, although the fact that her hair was in pigtails sort of took away from the menacing look she tried to throw at the bird creatures. Kimberly rolled her eyes slightly, not having time to argue with the two girls.

"We've got company!" she shouted as loud as she could, although she was hopeful that Adam and Dr. Oliver had already heard.

Within moments the tengas attacked. Kimberly used the playground equipment as leverage to increase the height of her kicks, sending a few to the ground. She landed a few punches as well.

A tenga charged at Kira on the playground. She ran up the bridge leading to the highest platform. "Come and get me you over stuffed goose," she called back to it. The tenga pursued, and Kira stepped to the side, letting it go over the edge. She peered down at it, smiling.

Aisha utilized the playground equipment as well, using the monkey bars to launch herself into the air. She landed feet first against the chest of one of the tengas, knocking it to the ground. When she looked up, Adam and Dr. Oliver were right in front of her. "Nice of you to join the party," she told them with a smirk.

Neither teenager replied, having been planning to tell the two little girls to take cover. The order hadn't gone over well with the four boys that followed them, so honestly they weren't sure why it would have worked on the two yellow rangers either. Instead, both teenagers nodded, running past her and throwing themselves into the fight with the tengas. This left Aisha with Tommy, Rocky, Connor and Trent.

"Where's Kira?" Connor asked her.

"I'm up here," Kira called. She was backed against the metal bars around one of the highest playground platforms. "I could use a little help," she added, using the bars to hold herself up as she landed a forward and then backward kick on one of the tengas that was cornering her.

"Right," Connor and Trent each said, with a nod to each other. Both boys ran towards the playground, pausing for a moment at the base, analyzing their options. "Slide?" Connor asked Trent.

"Slide," he replied, jumping on top of the plastic green tube slide at the same time that Connor crawled inside it. Both boys raced up the shoot, reaching the top at roughly the same time. Trent stood up in fighting stance on top of the slide where it connected to Kira's platform and glared at the tenga. "Hey you overgrown chicken! Didn't you know you shouldn't pick on girls?" Trent taunted, getting the tenga's attention. As soon as it looked away, Connor grabbed the bar that hung over the opening of the slide, swinging himself out and delivering a powerful kick with both legs into the tenga, as he shouted. Connor swung into a standing position, one leg back, both fists raised as he watched the tenga he'd propelled backward fly into two more that had been pursuing Kira, knocking them down.

"It's like bowling," Connor said with a smirk as he looked over at Kira. Trent hopped down beside the two of them.

"Basically," he replied. "They seem about as bright as pins," he added. The three kids high fived one another.

At the same time, Aisha was left with Rocky and Tommy at the base of slide. "Behind you," Rocky called out to Aisha. She spun around, coming to face two tengas baring down on them. She jumped back so that Rocky and Tommy were on either side of her. "Any ideas?" Rocky asked them, mainly looking at Tommy.

"Why me?"

"You're the leader," Aisha told him as the three of them bunched in closer together, maintaining defensive stance.

Tommy rolled his eyes, trying to keep the other two kids behind him slightly. They were right, he was the leader. Leader of the pint sized at the moment, but since Adam, Kimberly, and Dr. Oliver were all a bit busy (ignoring the fact that he and Rocky had refused to sit the fight out), Aisha and Rocky were definitely his responsibility. "I got an idea," he stated. "Rocky, get on my shoulders."

"What?" Rocky asked him, glancing over for a moment, before turning his attention back to the tengas. They were holding them at bay with a few kicks and punches, but it wasn't going to take them out.

"Just do it," Tommy told them. His idea was something Jason had told him about from one of the ranger's earliest battles when they were still learning to fight the putties. He just hopped it would work on two tengas. Rocky did as he was told, ushering Aisha further behind Tommy. Tommy grabbed both of Rocky's thighs. "Lean back and stick your arms and legs out straight," Tommy told him. Rocky frowned, but did what he said. "Aisha, get between Rocky's ankles. Use his legs to support you, and lift your own legs up and straight out." She didn't argue, but had to keep up with Tommy as he moved them backwards away from the advancing birds. As soon as Aisha was set, Tommy spun in a circle, allowing Rocky's arms and Aisha's legs to slam into the tengas several times. The aliens dropped as Tommy slowed his spin, and Aisha stumbled away a bit holding her head. Rocky hopped down, as the three of them sank onto the ground.

"A little warning next time, would be nice," Rocky grumbled, casting Tommy a triumphant smile. Tommy grinned back, leaning back on his hands, supporting his body, as he watched the last of the tengas being brought down by a few simple and not quite as creative kicks and punches from the three teenagers.

When less than a handful of the aliens remained standing, they turned tail and took to the sky. Adam shielding his eyes as he followed their flight towards the sun.

"Everyone alright?" Dr. Oliver asked, glancing around. He caught sight of his three current teammates leaning over the railing on the playground equipment, grinning. On the other side of him Tommy held his hand up in a thumbs up motion. Dr. Oliver opened his mouth to say more when four familiar tones sounded from Adam's communicator.

The three teenagers grouped in on each other, as Tommy, Rocky, and Aisha pushed themselves to their feet and stumbled over. Understanding, Connor led Kira and Trent down the slide to join them as Adam pushed the communicate button and spoke into his wrist. "We read you Zordon," he stated.

 _ **Rangers, teleport to the Command Center Immediately.**_

"On our way," Adam replied, looking over the group around him. Tommy and Rocky shrugged, while Kimberly and Aisha looked worried. Connor, Kira, and Trent just kept their eyes locked onto Dr. Oliver. Taking hands and touching shoulders, Adam and Kimberly were able to teleport the entire group out of the park.


	17. Chapter 17

Moments later, the nine rangers materialized in the Command Center alongside Alpha, Ethan, and Billy. The two blue rangers had abandoned their work and were standing before Zordon, concern on their faces. Due to the constant teleporting in and out, Connor, Kira, and Trent were only slightly disoriented.

"Zordon, tengas just attacked us in the park out of nowhere," Adam stated, stepping forward. Alarms were going off inside the Command Center, flashing yellow and red.

 _ **We are aware Black Ranger. It seems the attack was a distraction from Lord Zedd's true purpose. Behold the viewing globe.**_

All eleven turned to orient themselves toward the glowing orb at the opposite end of the Command Center. The snow in the globe started to fade, allowing them to see the scene inside. The background showed the outside of the Angel Grove museum. On the lawn surrounding it, tengas caused destruction and chaos, as the local populace sprinted away, screaming, and only occasionally glancing back over their shoulders as they fled. In addition to the bird creatures that the dino thunder team was beginning to get use to were two creatures that they did not recognize. The first was a large man sized primate creature with black fur and skin over his face. His entire body was encased in golden armor, and he sprouted two massive black wings also armored in gold from his back. He held a golden hilted sword, and his head was covered with a golden helmet. The second creature resembled a cross between a man and a goat. Its hind legs were curved like that of a goat, and ended in large hooves. Greyish brown fur covered the lower half of its body. Its torso was more human, devoid of any fur, although the skin was a blue grey color. Muscular arms ended in hands with three long fingers, each capped with a sharp yellow nail. Finally the creature's head took on more of the goat features, including a slight beard on its chin. Two black curved horns sprouted from the sides of its forehead. They were tipped in a silver colored metal encasing. In one of its hands, the creature held a long wooden flute like instrument.

"What's Goldar doing there?" Tommy asked, casting a look back at Zordon.

"What's a goldar?" Connor asked, not waiting for the Eltarian to answer the shrunken white ranger's question.

"Don't ask," Dr. Oliver told him. "I'll explain later."

"If there is a later," Ethan muttered, getting a glare from each of his teammates. He shrugged in response.

 _ **Goldar has been sent by Lord Zedd to help their newest monster infiltrate the Angel Grove museum.**_

"What could they possibly want at a museum?" Aisha ask with a bit of amusement in her voice. "It's not like Goldar to want some culture in his life."

"There's a Greek mythology exhibit on rotation this month," Billy put in, frowning as he contemplated the possibility.

 _ **Precisely Blue Ranger. It appears that Lord Zedd has sent them to steal Pandora's Box.**_

"You mean the mythical box that when opened unleashes absolute horrors on earth?" Kimberly asked, turning to face Zordon. "Like diseases and stuff?"

"That's the one," Billy replied. "But it's a myth, isn't it Zordon?"

 _ **Yes Blue Ranger. But I believe Lord Zedd plans to fill it with some of his most evil creations and then unleash it on the world.**_

"We have to stop him," Rocky stated simply. All his teammates, shrunken or not nodded. "There's no way Goldar is going to get his hands on that box."

"What's the thing with him Zordon?" Adam asked.

 _ **That is Lord Zedd's Sinister Satyr. Lord Zedd has created him for one of the statues on exhibit at the museum.**_

"It doesn't look so tough," Kimberly stated, leaning towards the globe to get a better view of the creature.

 _ **What it lacks in brute strength, it makes up for in power and cunning. The Sinister Satyr carries a flute with the ability to hypnotize all who hear the notes he plays on it.**_ The rangers watched as the creature appeared to demonstrate its capabilities, holding the flute to its mouth and playing several notes to form a tune. One moment the museum guards were blocking the entrance, and then next, they were dancing to the sides, letting Goldar enter. _**I'm afraid not even your helmets will protect you from the sounds.**_

"So how do we avoid being hypnotized?" Adam asked him.

"We can't focus on the notes. If we can think of anything else, the music won't be able to take hold of our minds," Billy explained.

 _ **Excellent idea Blue Ranger. To stop Sinister Satyr, you must destroy his flute. It is the source of all his power.**_

"Right," Adam, Kimberly, and Billy stated. "Time to get to work," Adam added on.

"We're coming with you," Tommy told him, Rocky and Aisha in agreement, only to see Adam shake his head.

"No way Tommy. Tengas were one thing, but this is a monster _and_ Goldar. We're going to need to morph." __

"We can't let them do it alone, Dr. O," Ethan informed the fifth teenager present. He had been standing off to the side, arms crossed over his chest, listening to everything and watching the monsters on the viewing globe. He shook his head and stepped forward.

"I don't like this," he stated. "I don't remember this monster. Maybe we should stay out of it, in case our presence destroys the past." Worry was etched on his face. He was incredibly scared that everything they had done thus far was tearing away the future as he knew it piece by piece. An immense weight on his chest told him that he'd never get the dino thunder teens back home where they belonged.

"But isn't the fact that you don't remember this a good thing?" Connor asked him. Dr. Oliver frowned, not following his meaning. "I mean, the device you, Ethan, and Billy were working on is designed to lock away any memories of encountering us."

"Yeah," Kira said, smiling and realizing what Connor meant. "So the fact that you don't remember this attack, might mean that the device will work. After all, your memories will be locked away as well. And the four of us are still here. We haven't disappeared, so we must still exist in the future, so we can get sent back in time."

"They're right," Billy put in, getting a nod from Ethan. "It makes sense. Since Rita and Zedd don't know anything about the Dino Thunder Rangers being here, this battle probably has nothing to do with you. Just another of their old tricks. You don't remember it because the dino thunder rangers are involved, so the device will have distorted it."

Dr. Oliver contemplated it for a moment, before nodding, accepting that Billy and his teammates might be right. "Ok, but only I'll go. Ethan, you can only come if the situation looks dire. I'd rather we keep Rita and Zedd in the dark about there being other rangers."

"Ok," Ethan told him.

Dr. Oliver nodded and stepped over to Adam, Kimberly and Billy. The other three teenagers shifted and placed their right hands behind their backs, grasping their morphers. They all looked at Dr. Oliver. "Oh no," he stated. "I am not your leader," he added in. "You want him, try about two feet shorter over there," he pointed at Tommy and Rocky who were watching the teenagers, disappointment and worry on their faces.

"Fine," Adam stated with a sigh. He stepped forward slightly and shouted "It's morphin' time."

"Black Ranger Power!"

"Pink Ranger Power!"

"Blue Ranger Power!"

"White Ranger Power!"

A moment later, all four morphed rangers teleported out of the Command Center and to the museum, leaving six anxious and distressed children and one teenager behind.

The four rangers teleported out onto the lawn where they'd seen the tengas and monster attacking via the viewing globe. The goat creature stood in the center, ringed by the winged minions. Behind them, Goldar was emerging from the museum, a gilded and jewel encrusted box clutched in the hand that didn't hold his sword.

"Hold it right there Goldar," Dr. Oliver shouted. "You're not taking that box."

"That's where you're wrong White Ranger," Goldar taunted back. The address caught Dr. Oliver slightly off guard. The power felt strange enough already, but being reminded that his costume was currently white and not black was a little more than disconcerting. Goldar observed the group of four. "Without the Red and Yellow Rangers, how can you ever hope to win? Where are they anyway?"

"That's none of your business," Adam replied, angrily.

"The four of us are enough to take you on Goldar!" Kimberly shouted at him, defensive of the fact that Aisha and Rocky were missing. Tommy was missing as well, but that was an entire other realm of weird.

"In your dreams, Pink Ranger!" Goldar spat back at her.

"Oh boy!" an excited shout reached their ears. "Someone new to play with," the monster added in, opening both arms wide and directing his flute toward the rangers. A blast emitted from the end, sparks flying out. The rangers rolled away, Kimberly and Billy to the right, while Dr. Oliver and Adam rolled to the left, landing in kneeling positions.

"You guys take the Satyr and the tengas. I'll go after Goldar," Dr. Oliver stated, accidently assuming the leadership role. His three old friends didn't even hesitate or second guess. Instinct took over as they stated "Right," and climbed to their feet, each engaging several tengas in battle.

Dr. Oliver hadn't even waited for a response. He jumped to his feet and took off running after Goldar, who'd turned his back on the rangers the moment the Sinister Satyr began to attack them. He caught up to his old nemesis within moments, and managed to get in front of him, cutting off the gold armored creature's retreat.

"I told you that you weren't taking that box, and I meant it."

"Going to stop me all by yourself, huh Tommy?"

"I've done it before," Dr. Oliver replied, as Goldar brought his sword forward. "What's once more?"

"As you wish," Goldar threatened, charging towards him. Dr. Oliver immediately pulled a white saber with the hilt in the shape of a white tiger head from his holster at his side. The tiger's eyes glowed red for a moment. Gripping Saba with two hands, he caught Goldar's blade nearly against the hilt. He shoved, pushing Goldar back. The large winged creature stumbled back a few steps, as Dr. Oliver adjusted to a one handed grip on Saba.

"You'll have to do better than that," he taunted Goldar, becoming more comfortable in the situation by the second. Adrenaline running, familiar weapon in his hand, the shouts of a successful battle emanating from nearby. It all made it easier to forget he wasn't currently the white ranger, and that he wasn't currently a teenage boy. Since the regression, he'd already felt more energized. But the white ranger's power had amped that up even higher. Goldar snarled at him, and charged again. This time Dr. Oliver wasn't able to catch him, and had to roll to the side, shifting Saba into a blade down position, as Goldar's sword missed his helmet protected head by mere centimeters. He heard the swish of the blade near his ear. "That was a little too close," he told Saba, as he regained his feet. Goldar was turning back at him.

"You're not the white ranger," Saba responded, eyes glowing red, jaw moving as it spoke.

"Tell me something I don't know," Dr. Oliver replied. "I've missed you old friend," he added in to the saber. "You'll help me right?"

"Absolutely," Saba replied, clearly recognizing the subtle differences and similarities between the ranger holding it currently and the one who normally wielded it, even if it didn't completely understand what the ranger had meant by missed.

"Let's do this then," he added, holding Saba out in front of him. Saba's eyes blazed and twin rays of white light lasers blasted towards Goldar, knocking him backwards several steps, Pandora 's Box still clutched underneath his arm like a football.

"You'll pay for that," Goldar hissed, running back at Dr. Oliver.

"Not likely," the ranger replied, ducking as Goldar swung his sword again. This time Dr. Oliver delivered a few kicks, spinning on his foot to deliver a few backwards, shouting out as he made contact. Goldar slashed at him with his sword arm, lashing out, his moves growing more erratic as the white ranger gained the upper hand.

While Dr. Oliver engaged Goldar across the museum lawn, Billy, Adam, and Kimberly found themselves involved in another struggle with the tengas, although fully morphed, the creatures were dropping like flies, slowly abandoning the Sinister Satyr they'd been sent down to protect. Adam brought down his share of tengas using mostly martial arts kicks and punches, while Billy and Kimberly employed back flips and cartwheels to their attack formations. Eventually, the last of the tengas dropped, and the three rangers regrouped in front of the Satyr.

"NO!" it hissed, stomping it's feet, causing the ground to shake. "You destroyed my friends!"

"Clearly," Kimberly retorted. "Why don't you just give up now?"

"I'll destroy you," it stated, ignoring her. Once again, it pointed its flute at the three rangers, sending a blast directly at them. The rangers responded a bit too slowly and were thrown backwards.

"We'll fight fire with fire," Adam told them, as the three rolled to their feet. Kimberly and Billy nodded. The three of them reached down and pulled their blade blasters free of the holsters, taking aim and firing as one at the satyr who stumbled backwards in the resulting explosion as sparks and smoke filled the air around him.

"Alright!" Kimberly laughed.

"He's toast," Adam agreed.

"Ugh guys," Billy alerted them to the problem. Despite the direct hit from three blade blasters, the satyr was still standing, and now was moving towards them. "I don't think that went according to plan."

"Man," Adam complained. "He's stronger than he looks."

"Uh oh," Kimberly added in as it neared them, eyes narrowing into a glare, as it swung it's flute back up in front of itself. Instead of pointing it at the rangers this time, the satyr creature brought the instrument to its mouth and began to play a tune.

"Remember what Zordon said," Billy told them, slapping his hands over the area on his helmet where his ears would be. "Our helmets won't protect against it."

"We've got to keep our minds on our own thoughts," Adam confirmed, copying Billy's movements.

"And destroy the flute," Kim added in, as the tune got louder.

"What's the matter rangers? Don't like my song?" The Sinister Satyr asked them, pausing its melodic playing for a brief moment. It laughed. "Come! Listen and obey!"

"We'll never obey you," Adam replied, although he sank to his knees as the creature neared them, the music increasing in volume. He could feel the note reverberating through his bones as he tried to fight the melody ingraining itself in his mind. "Must… resist… can't… think."

"Adam," Billy shouted, as he and Kimberly also lost their footing, desperately trying to shield their ears from the sounds of the flute. For a moment, the blue ranger was sure Adam would fight it, but a moment later, the black ranger stood up rigid, and fell into step behind the satyr, almost as if the creature was a pied piper.

"Billy, what do we do?" Kimberly shouted towards him, worry seeping into her voice as she watched the black ranger fall prey to the evil flute.

"Think of anything else Kim. Just don't listen to the mu..sic…" he word was stated quieter than the rest of his shout, each syllable drawn out, as in his worry for Adam, he lost focus on his thoughts, the notes imbedding themselves in his brain. Kimberly saw him drop his hands away from his ears, stand, and join the black ranger behind the satyr.

"Oh, no," Kimberly stated. "I'm alone," she added, glancing around, desperately looking for Dr. Oliver. She caught sight of him, engaged in battle with Goldar. She watched as his white boot clad foot collided with Goldar's chin, sending the alien general flying backwards in the air, his sword falling from one arm, and the box flying out of his grasp. Dr. Oliver lunged forward, diving onto his stomach, catching the box as gravity pulled it to the ground. As it fell into his hands, he wrapped his fingers tightly around it. Only once it was safely clutched in his hands did Kimberly realize that she'd taken her eyes off the satyr too long, and the notes drifted into her consciousness. With the last of her willpower before she succumbed to the powers of the Sinister Satyr, Kimberly did the only thing her mind could remember to do.

"Tommy!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, losing all ability to distinguish the individual in the white ranger uniform from her boyfriend.

Yards away from her, Dr. Oliver heard Kimberly's scream, as he pushed himself to his feet, Pandora's box safely clutched in his arms. He started to run towards her, but his advance was cut off by Goldar blocking his path.

"Give me the box White Ranger!" Goldar threatened him with the sword, as Dr. Oliver skidded to a halt. Over the creature's shoulder he could see Adam, Billy, and Kimberly stiff and rigid following along behind the Satyr who continued to play his flute.

"Not a chance Goldar!" he retorted angrily.

"Then you'll never save your friends," Goldar told him, a slight menacing laugh in his voice. Dr. Oliver attempted to dart forward, but Goldar blocked him, slashing at his torso with the sword.

"I've got to leave them," Dr. Oliver muttered, holding tight to the box. "I can't let Goldar get the box back," he added, pulling his arm in front of him, before realizing he'd never taken Tommy's communicator. For a moment he panicked, worried that he had no way of escaping the battle, before remembering the seven rangers back at the command center who were probably watching every moment of the battle. "Guys!" he shouted, causing Goldar to look around confused. "Teleport me back!" he added. Quietly, more to himself than to anyone else, he added "I promise I'll be back for you guys" indicating Kimberly, Billy, and Adam. A moment later, the white ranger streaked into the air, as Goldar lunged forward attempting to grab him, the creatures arms wrapping around empty airspace.

Dr. Oliver rematerialized in the center of the Command Center, Pandora's box under one arm, his helmet clutched under the other. He only had a brief second to register the small white clad body rushing toward him, a deep set glare in his eyes.

"YOU ABANDONED THEM!" Tommy growled, his advance toward Dr. Oliver only cut off by Connor and Trent stepping in between the two versions. Tommy's body language suggested he wanted nothing more but to beat the living crap out of the older version of himself, and he might not have cared about knocking Connor and Trent out of the way to do it.

"I'm going back," Dr. Oliver replied, understanding the feelings radiating from the boy. He knew it had been extremely hard to have even given him the falcon power coin in the first place, but now, Tommy was stuck in the Command Center, watching helplessly as someone used his powers, and failed to protect his friends. Aisha had moved toward Dr. Oliver and wordlessly take Pandora's box from his arms. "I couldn't let Goldar get the box."

"Ay yi yi yi yi… White Ranger!" Alpha came running toward him and Aisha, hands outstretched for the device he'd brought back. Tommy threw his hands up.

"Oh for the love of – I give up!" he stated, turning around and storming back over to the viewing globe where Rocky hadn't taken his eyes off his friends. The Sinister Satyr was making the three hypnotized rangers dance some kind of weird version of an Irish step dance. If they weren't so distraught over the fact that they couldn't do anything about it, both boys may have actually cracked a smile.

"You brought back Pandora's Box" Alpha continued, clearly not understanding Tommy's outburst. Dr. Oliver merely dropped his eyes away from the boy and onto the robot. It wasn't Alpha's fault he was confused. The entire situation was extremely hard to follow.

 _ **Excellent Job, Dr. Oliver. You made the wise decision in bringing Pandora 's Box back to us. It would have been catastrophic if Lord Zedd had gotten his hands on it. But now, you must go and help the other rangers.**_

"I know Zordon," Dr. Oliver stated.

"Take this," Rocky told him, walking over. He had reached into his pocket and pulled out his own communicator. "This way you can contact us easily, and teleport yourself back."

"You're sure about that?"

"I can't do much else. Just promise me you'll save them," Rocky replied, getting a nod in response. Satisfied, he walked back over to the viewing globe, placing his hand on Tommy's shoulder. The boy didn't shrug him off. Aisha joined them, slipping her hand into Rocky's for comfort.

Dr. Oliver turned away from the three shrunken members of his former team, to see Kira perched on one of the consoles, Trent and Connor standing near her. Ethan stood beside them, leaning over, studying a data print out.

"Ethan," he called, and his teammate looked up. "The situation had gotten dire."

"Right," he replied, looking up and flicking his wrist.

"Wait," Kira stated. "Dr. O, what if the monster grows? Can Ethan call his zord?" Both Dr. Oliver and Ethan froze in their tracks. Kira's question caught Tommy, Rocky, and Aisha's attention as well, as they looked away from the viewing globe.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Dr. Oliver stated. "He's tied to Ethan's dino gem, and he does exist, but I don't know that waking him in this time wouldn't have negative ramifications on the future."

"So that puts the team down to four Zords," Tommy stated, "if you can save the others."

"When we save the others," Dr. Oliver corrected him. Tommy shrugged.

"But without Rocky," Aisha put in, "you all don't have a zord that can take on a warrior mode."

"And there's no way to form the Ninja Falcon Megazord," Rocky added, worried. They doubted this would end before Lord Zedd pulled that card. Especially since he knew the red and yellow rangers were missing. He'd take advantage of that weakness for sure.

"Zordon," Tommy asked, looking up at their mentor. "Would it be possible for Rocky and Aisha to give their power coins to the others? Like when I gave my green coin to Jason? It let him summon the dragon zord."

 _ **It may be possible, White Ranger**_ Zordon replied, purposely using Tommy's title. He clearly hadn't ignored Tommy's outburst, and tried to give him what comfort he could. Tommy blushed slightly, realizing his childish behavior. _**However, it could also be quite dangerous. In your case, the green ranger's powers were drained away, and therefore their connection to you and subsequently your connection to the morphing grid was almost entirely severed.**_

"But Rocky and Aisha are still the proper owners of the ape and bear power coins," Ethan stated, realization on his face. "Tommy could give his to Dr. Oliver without a problem because they have the same genetic code, but Rocky and Aisha would just be lending their powers. The morphing grid might not like that."

 _ **This is precisely my concern. If the other rangers attempt to call your Zords, it could result in a malfunction. I cannot guarantee your safety or theirs. However, the decision must be yours.**_

"Safety or not," Rocky said, shaking his head and pulling out his morpher. He removed the power coin from it and handed it to Dr. Oliver, "if there's even a remote possibility it could work, and it's needed, I'll risk it. Give that to Adam. He'll know what to do."

"Me too," Aisha stated, handing over her power coin as well. "Kim should take mine," she added in and Dr. Oliver nodded.

"We won't call them if it can be avoided," Dr. Oliver assured them. Tommy, Aisha, and Rocky each nodded. "I promise."

"Go save them," Tommy told him. "Please!"

Dr. Oliver nodded, and looked at Ethan, who gave him a nod in return.

"Back to Action!" Dr. Oliver stated, at the same moment that Ethan shouted "Dino Thunder! Power Up!" Both rangers immediately teleported to the lawn in front of the museum, not knowing exactly what they would find.


	18. Chapter 18

We interrupt your regularly schedule relationship/reunion fic to bring you a zord battle. LOL. What I mean to say is that this story is very much about the relationships between the rangers. The purpose of Zedd and Rita attacking is simply to add a little bit more chaos and discord in their lives. There is no over arching sinster theme at play here, so please don't take the monsters too seriously. This current attack is just Zedd and Rita's latest scheme. Oh, and on that note, I won't be writing the bad guys point of view, so we'll only being seeing them, if they come in contact with the rangers.

Hope you enjoy the conclusion of the battle.

Fateless

* * *

Dr. Oliver and Ethan surveyed the area around them when they materialized. The three mind controlled rangers continued their dancing, although it was now more like "I'm a little teapot" than the Irish step dance. The Sinister Satyr sat on the edge of a brick wall, his flute held in his hand like a baton. He appeared to be conducting the rangers. Goldar was nearby, overturning anything he could get his claws on, and causing massive amounts of destruction. He stopped when he realized that the white clad ranger had returned.

"Where is the box White Ranger?" Goldar hissed, as Dr. Oliver and Ethan fell into a defensive position. The gold armored creature whirled toward them, stalking closer with his sword raised. Ethan took a moment to study the alien while at the same time, processing the fact that Goldar wasn't referring to Trent.

"Somewhere safe from Lord Zedd," Dr. Oliver retorted, drawing Saba again.

"You'll pay for that," Goldar snarled, swinging his arm toward him in attempt to strike the white clad ranger. Ethan didn't hesitate, but concentrated on his powers for a split second, diving in front of Dr. Oliver. Goldar's strike caught him on the top of his shoulder, but instead of knocking Ethan down, Goldar jumped back, shaking his hand, growling in pain. Ethan stood straight up, having stooped a little at the weight of Goldar's strike. He was sneering underneath his helmet. "What is this?" Goldar hissed.

"A little bit of back up," Ethan replied. Dr. Oliver was laughing within his helmet, shaking his head at the gold monkey man's surprise.

"This is not over Power Rangers," Goldar snarled, and disappeared, sword in hand, leaving Dr. Oliver and Ethan with a clear view of their friends.

"I'd say you just made an enemy," Dr. Oliver told Ethan who shrugged in response. It wasn't like he didn't already have a truck load of them back in Reefside.

"Just us now rangers," Sinister Satyr interrupted the white and blue clad super heroes. He was striding toward them, the three captured rangers following behind with stiff movements.

"Let them go goat face," Ethan shouted, angry.

"But they're my friends," the creature replied with a bit of malicious laughter. "They're going to defend me." As he said it, the three shifted into a fighting stance. Dr. Oliver and Ethan stumbled backward, trying to increase the distance between them.

"Dr. O?" Ethan stated, not sure what to do. He looked from Adam, to Billy, and then to Kim.

"Try not to hurt them," Dr. Oliver replied. He would have elaborated, except that the three rangers choose that moment to attack. Billy charged at Ethan, blue ranger fighting blue ranger, while Adam and Kimberly went after Dr. Oliver.

"Ok," Ethan called. "So this is real fair. Three on two," he complained, ducking underneath one of Billy's fists. The three hypnotized rangers didn't make a sound, which was really freaking him out.

"Haven't you learned yet Ethan," Dr. Oliver stated, kicking Adam with only enough force to drive the black clad ranger away from him. "The bad guys never fight fair." He ducked under Kimberly's grasp, and lightly kicked her legs out from underneath her. But neither of his attacks stopped the advancing rangers. While Ethan and Dr. Oliver were trying not to hurt them, the three hypnosis victims were doing everything in their power to destroy the Ethan and Dr. Oliver.

"I don't know how much longer we can hold up to this," Ethan shouted, midway through the battle. He had thus far managed to block most of Billy's punches and kicks using his dino strength, but his powers were growing more diminished by the moment.

"We need to take out that flute," Dr. Oliver called in response. He was on his back, holding Saba in both of his hands, outstretched above him, preventing Adam from wrapping his hands around his neck. Kim was on the ground a few feet away, but she was quickly regaining her feet. Dr. Oliver used his legs to catch Adam and flip him over his head, before rolling to his feet.

"I think we're a bit busy at the moment," Ethan groaned. He attempted to pull his Thundermax Saber from its holster, but Billy kicked his hand away.

"Having fun rangers?" the sinister satyr taunted them, jumping up and down in triumph as Kimberly landed a few kicks on Dr. Oliver due to his resistance to fighting her. He stumbled backwards. Ethan and Dr. Oliver ignored the creature, focusing all of their attention on defending themselves and not harming their friends.

"I've got an idea. When you get the opening, take it," Dr. Oliver shouted to Ethan.

"Right," he called back, as he ducked under Billy's fist again. The hypnotized blue ranger struck a tree instead, and whirled around to reface Ethan, and Dr. Oliver who was fighting off Adam and Kimberly behind them. Ethan wasn't sure what his mentor's plan was, but he sent a silent prayer that it would work. He was getting tired.

"Hey guys, look here," Dr. Oliver shouted, getting the attention of all three of the enslaved rangers. The moment their visors shifted, he tossed Saba into the air, where it hung on its own power. The ranger's followed it. Saba suddenly began to spin, distracting the three Rangers. "Ethan, now," Dr. Oliver called.

Ethan didn't hesitate, he grabbed hold of his Thundermax Saber, shifted it into blaster mode, and aimed directly at the flute in the Satyr's hand. The blast fired out, striking the flute directly in the center, and knocking the creature back in a shower of sparks. Loudly, it cried "NO!" as it struggled to remain on its feet.

Saba ceased its spin and descended directly into Dr. Oliver's waiting hand, moments before the white clad ranger ran towards his friends. All three had stopped moving and were holding their heads. Ethan ran towards them as well, reaching them all just as Dr. Oliver placed both his hands on Kimberly's shoulders. It was only natural for him to go straight to her.

"You three alright?" Dr. Oliver asked, but behind his visor, his face was full of concern, eyes locked only on the pink ranger.

"My head hurts," she muttered in response.

"My too," Adam added in, attempting to stand up straight.

"Other than a bit of discomfort, we should be fine," Billy replied. "Are you two ok?" he asked, looking over at Ethan.

"No sweat," Ethan replied with a bit of a laugh in his voice, as he clapped Billy on the back. "Glad to have you back."

"Are you three still able to fight?" Dr. Oliver asked them, falling into defensive position as the Satyr began to stalk back towards them. "It's not over yet."

Adam and Billy both nodded, falling in beside him. While Kim stated "No one takes control of my mind and gets away with it."

"You wrecked my flute! You…. Grrr… you'll pay for that," The Satyr cried, sounding very much like a petulant child.

"Sorry," Ethan replied. "Your music was giving us a headache."

"The tune wasn't very catchy," Adam added in, with a bit of a laugh.

The Satyr charged at the five rangers, whirling around, using its powerful arms to strike them, clawing against their costumes. The five rangers held their own, using various formations and skills to land kicks and punches against the creature, creating showers of sparks every time they landed a particularly powerful hit. At one point, Adam and Dr. Oliver used their arms as a spring board to send Kim flying towards the alien creation, which resulted in the creature falling to the ground in a series of explosions and sparks.

The rangers' high fiving and celebrating was cut short, however, as the Satyr staggered to his feet, only to be struck by multiple bolts of bluish green lightning before being engulfed in the light. As the creature grew to a massive size, the five power rangers staggered backwards.

"I knew this wasn't going to be that easy," Dr. Oliver stated with a bit of a groan in his voice. He reached to his belt and pulled out the ape and bear power coins, turning to Adam and Kimberly. "Take these," he told them, holding them out in the palm of his hand. Instinctively, Adam picked up Rocky's while Kim grabbed Aisha's.

"Their power coins? But why?" Adam asked.

"To call the zords, if we need Megazord," Dr. Oliver told him.

"But that could cause damage to the Morphin grid," Billy stated. "Not to mention the harm that could befall Rocky and Aisha."

"They insisted," Ethan told the others. "But only in case of an emergency."

"Right," Kimberly replied, wrapping her fingers tightly around bear power coin, pulling it toward her chest protective. "Let's try to take this thing out on our own."

"Ethan you get somewhere safe," Dr. Oliver told him. The dino thunder teenager nodded, sprinting further away from the other for rangers, and clear of the massive hoof feet of the satyr. He really did not feel like getting squashed.

Dr. Oliver, Adam, Kimberly, and Billy stood in a row, and lifted their right arms in the air, moving them in a circle over their heads, while shouting "We need ninja zord power now." Light that matched their ranger colors followed the arc of their arms, and shot into the sky as the rangers finished by pointing their arm directly above them.

"Black Ranger, Frog Ninja Zord Power!"

"Pink Ranger, Crane Ninja Zord Power!"

"Blue Ranger, Wolf Ninja Zord Power!"

"White Ranger, Falcon Zord Power!"

The wolf zord appeared atop a nearby building, howling. In a flash, it bounded down the sides of the building, and raced toward the rangers. The frog zord, hopped towards them, its powerful hind legs propelling it upwards and forward as it leaped. The crane zord called loudly, flying towards the rangers through the air, moments before the falcon zord followed, and wings flapping, as it screeched. The four rangers jumped as the zords neared them, launching themselves into the cockpits of each one.

"Alright guys, let's do this," Dr. Oliver called to the other three.

"Right," all three replied traditionally.

"Initiate battle sequence," Dr. Oliver stated, gazing out at the Sinister Satyr. It never failed. Whenever Zedd and Rita would make their monster grow, its weapon, though seemingly without its same power, rematerialized. Standing in front of the four manned zords, was the creature, its wooden flute now grown to massive size, clutched in its hand.

"I'm going to bring this guy down now with frog power," Adam told the others. He maneuvered the frog zord into position in front of the monster, the zord's eyes glowing a bright red. The zord opened its mouth, and a long walkway extended from it. Smaller robotic frogs descended down it, leaping onto the monster as bolts of electricity emanated from them before exploding, and knocking the Sinister Satyr backwards. Adam followed the attack with a fire stream emitted from within the frog zord's mouth. "Anyone order goat, extra crispy?" Adam laughed. A moment later, his laughter died out "What? He's still standing!" he hissed when the smoke cleared.

"Don't worry Adam," Billy called out as the wolf zord moved past the frog zord. It launched into the air, flipping in a summersault over the monster's head and struck the overgrown satyr with its blade tail that resulted in the creature staggering as sparks flew up. When the wolf zord landed on the other side, blue lasers fired from its eyes toward the satyr, who managed to deflect them with a twirl of its flute. "No way!" Billy shouted, as the monster spun in a circle, using the flute to shoot blasts at both the frog and wolf zords, knocking them backwards and onto their sides.

"Hang on guys," Kimberly's voice came through both of the communication systems inside the cockpits of their zords. "The crane is on the way." The crane zord flew overhead, screeching. As it sailed above the Satyr, it fired several burst of energy blasts from its thrusters, each which landed against the creature, causing it to stumble. The monster roared, and pointed its flute at the crane zord, unleashing a lasso of light which wrapped around the crane zord. Kimberly lost control as the electricity surged through the zord, sending it crashing to the ground.

"Kim," Dr. Oliver called, having watched from the cockpit of the falcon zord. Worry radiated through his voice. He tried to tell himself that it was because she was his friend, and not because of the teenage emotions and hormone coursing through his body for the last two days.

"I'm alright," she called back. He wasn't sure if she'd heard the tone in his voice or not. "Little banged up," she added, "and it'll take a bit to get the crane back online."

"Right," Dr. Oliver stated, turning the falcon zord toward the Satyr. "This goat's mine!" he added, flying towards it. As he neared, the flacon zord shifted into a vertical position, its wings folding in front of its body as it screeched. Missiles launched from the tips of both wings, blast after blast colliding with the monster, showering the area with sparks and smoke. With another roar, the Satyr pointed its flute at the falcon zord, wrapping it in a similar electricity lasso as the crane zord had been. Dr. Oliver flipped several switches and applied thrusters, allowing the falcon zord to escape, just as the electrical surge reached the zord's tail. Although he escaped massive damage, the blast knocked him into a spiral as the zord fled.

"Dr. Oliver," Aisha's voice came through Rocky's communicator on his wrist. "It's not working. You need to form the Ninja MegaFalconzord." He was sure she was communicating with all four of them, and not just himself. In the pit of his stomach, he knew she was right.

"No way," Adam replied. "We're not risking hurting you and Rocky."

"Adam, you don't have a choice," Rocky told him, and the four rangers could hear defiance in his voice. "The satyr will destroy you and the city if you don't. What good would that be?"

"He has a point," Billy stated. "I still don't like it though."

"Tough," Tommy's voice came through the communicators. "I'm still the leader of this team," he told them. "Rocky and Aisha know what they're doing. You've got to call for the ape and bear zords."

"Alright," Kimberly, Billy, and Adam all responded, although there was reluctance in their voices. Fear for their friends was currently outweighing the fear for their own safety. However, they were sworn to protect the earth from Lord Zedd, and this wasn't the first time that they'd have to put the citizens of earth ahead of their own natural wants and needs.

 _ **Rangers. End the battle quickly to diminish the strain on the morphing grid**_ Zordon told them. Clearly, he agreed with Tommy's decision.

"Ready Kim?" Adam's voice echoed through her cockpit. Kimberly nodded, and replied in the affirmative, as they both pulled out their friends' power coins, as the transmission from the Command Center cut out.

"Yellow Ranger, Bear Ninja Zord Power!" Kimberly shouted from inside her own cockpit. She felt a tug of power against her. It was an uncomfortable feeling, but not particularly painful. For a moment, she worried that it wouldn't work as yellow lightning bolts darted around the hand where she clutched Aisha's power coin. However, a roar announced the arrival of the bear zord, at the same moment as she heard Adam's voice again.

"Red Ranger, Ape Ninja Zord Power!" The same power tug and uncomfortable feeling filled Adam. He pushed the irritation from his mind and focused on the appearance of the ape zord.

As soon as both zords were visible, the four rangers initiated the megazord sequence. The crane zord flipped in on itself, forming the shape that would become the head. At the same moment, the bear zord automatically folded in, taking on the shape that would allow the other five zords to connect to it as the torso. Adam's frog zord formed the legs and attached to the base of the bear, while the ape and the wolf zords became the right and left arms respectively, attaching at what would be the shoulders. The crane head settled into place, as the falcon zord plummeted from the sky towards them, screeching. The ninja megazord leapt into the air as the falcon zord leveled out, attaching to the back, completing the final component of the Ninja MegaFalconzord. Dr. Oliver entered the cockpit, joining Billy, Kimberly and Adam. He noticed that the latter two individuals had bolts of yellow and red lightning respectively dancing around their right arms, fists clenched from where they held their friends' power coins. He didn't like the look of it, any more than he liked the sight of their arm muscles twitching slightly.

"Let's end this now," he told them. The other three rangers nodded.

"You'll never destroy me," the Sinister Satyr shouted, aiming its flute at the megazord. Several blasts fired out at them, striking the megazord in the chest, adding more sparks and smoke to the atmosphere. The megazord stumbled backwards, but did not fall to the ground as the monster had anticipated.

"You'll have to do better than that," Dr. Oliver shouted back, as the four rangers manned the controls. A moment later, the megazord drew back each fist, pure red power charging up the right arm, while blue power ignited on the left. A moment later, both of the megazord's fists struck the satyr square in the chest at the same time, sending it crashing to the ground in a series of explosions as it disintegrated.

Immediately, the rangers disengaged the megazord, sending the zords back to their hiding places, as the leapt back to the ground. Adam and Kimberly both hit their knees, the lightning bolts playing not only across their arms, but halfway across their chests as well.

"Guys," Billy shouted, as he and Dr. Oliver raced to their sides. "Give me the coins," he added, as Dr. Oliver knelt between them, his hands on each of their shoulders, trying to steady them. Billy held out his hand, and Adam and Kimberly dropped the gold coins into them. Both coins blazed red as if they had been placed into a furnace. An additional glow of red and yellow light ringed each coin. Billy winced as they struck his hands, noticing black char marks on the white palms of Adam and Kimberly's gloves. "They're scorching," Billy stated, tossing them from one hand to the other to prevent them from sitting too long. Now that the power wasn't being used, they were starting to cool off. Without the power coins in the possession, the electricity that had been engulfing the black and pink rangers was beginning to dissipate.

"Can you stand?" Dr. Oliver asked the two of them, as Ethan rushed over from his hiding spot.

"I think so," Adam replied, stumbling a bit as he tried to regain his feet. Ethan stooped down to help him, throwing the black ranger's arm over her shoulder, and standing upright. Dr. Oliver did the same with Kimberly, without even waiting for a reply.

"Let's get you back to the Command Center," Ethan stated, and Dr. Oliver and Billy nodded. Together, the five rangers teleported back.

When they materialized in the center of the Command Center, Tommy and Connor helped steady Adam and Kimberly, guiding them into a sitting position on the edge of the consoles. Dr. Oliver and Ethan removed their helmets as Connor removed Adam's and Tommy took off Kimberly's. Trent held out a tray to Billy who instantly placed the ape and bear power coins on it, before removing his own helmet. Trent passed the tray to Alpha who hurried away with it. Dr. Oliver glanced around, his eyes settling on two unconscious bodies, reclined in black bedlike chairs near the viewing globe. Kira stood beside Aisha, clutching the other yellow ranger's hand in her own. She looked up when she felt Dr. Oliver's eyes on her, her face etched in worry.

"What happened?" Dr. Oliver nearly snapped, desperately trying to calm himself. He wasn't sure he was succeeding. He immediately ran to Rocky's side, placing his fingers against the boy's throat, feeling for a pulse. He sighed slightly when he found it.

"They both screamed and passed out the moment you called the zords," Kira told him.

"Damn it," Dr. Oliver cursed. "Zordon will they be alright?" his eyes shifted from the two unconscious children to the two weakened half morphed rangers. Alpha was scanning both of them with a device that beeped and flashed on occasion. The last of the electricity was almost gone. Only a small amount remained near their fingertips.

 _ **Adam and Kimberly's bodies were overwhelmed by the influx of energy from the morphing grid. They should be fine as soon as the last remnants of the red and yellow ranger's powers have left them**_ Zordon explained. Dr. Oliver saw the relief he felt reflected in Tommy's eyes, as he held Kimberly's other hand tightly within his own. That didn't surprise him. What did was the look of discomfort in hers.

"What about Aisha and Rocky?" Billy asked. He'd grabbed another of Alpha's scanners and was currently sweeping it over the two small unconscious children.

 _ **As I feared, the use of their power coins by others caused the morphing grid to become unstable. It began to siphon off their life energy almost immediately due to their already weakened state. Now that the grid is stable again, only time will tell if there will be lasting damage.**_

"We shouldn't have done it," Adam stated, his voice sounding a bit shaky. "We should have found another way."

"What other way was there?" Tommy asked him. His voice wasn't harsh, but resigned. He'd made the final call to allow Aisha and Rocky to risk themselves. He was the leader, this was his responsibility. Adam shook his head and hung it.

"How are the power coins, Alpha?" Billy asked the small robot. Alpha brought him the try.

"Their temperatures are returning to normal Billy. They will be fine," Alpha replied, as Billy picked up each power coin in his hand. The gold color had returned to normal, but they each still glowed red and yellow. He frowned for a second, lost in thought before looking up at Zordon.

"Zordon," he asked. "Do you think it's possible that a boost from the power coins might help Rocky and Aisha?"

 _ **It is possible**_ Zordon replied. _**But you must be careful.**_

"Affirmative," Billy stated, walking over to the two prone children. Dr. Oliver and Kira stepped aside to let them pass, Dr. Oliver maintaining his gaze on them. "Here goes nothing," Billy stated as he knelt between the two. He turned over Rocky's hand and placed the red glowing coin in it, wrapping the boys hand around it. He then did the same with Aisha and her bear coin. The light that had been glowing around the coins blazed, engulfing both children, before it went out completely. Nothing happened for a moment, and then both children began to blink open their eyes. Tommy darted forward as Rocky sat up. Billy slowly helped Aisha into a sitting position.

"What happened?" Rocky asked, holding his head. "I feel like I've been stepped on by a zord."

"We almost lost you, Rocko," Tommy told him, as Adam and Kimberly made their way over, a bit slower than Tommy had due to a slight bit of weakness.

"Don't you ever scare us like that again," Kimberly scolded, wrapping her arms around Aisha and pulling the girl into a tight hug.

"No problem there," Aisha replied. "One near death experience is enough for me."

"I'll second that," Rocky added, with a bit of a laugh.

"I'm glad you guys are ok," Connor stated as he, Trent, and Ethan walked over the rest of the group. Connor held his hand out to Rocky, who grabbed it, and both boys pulled each other into a one armed hug. "What you did was brave."

"Risky as hell," Dr. Oliver corrected.

"That too," Connor conceded, smiling. Rocky smiled right back.

 _ **Welcome back Rangers!**_ Zordon interrupted. _**My scans indicate that your power coins have restored your bodies' natural energies. However, what you both did here today must never be repeated. The danger is too great.**_

"I agree," Tommy told them, hugging Aisha, and clasping Rocky's hand. "But still, I'm glad they did it."

"My heroes!" Kimberly laughed, planting a kiss on Rocky's cheek. He blushed, as Tommy snickered.

"Do they check out Zordon?" Adam asked, grinning wide now that he knew his friends were alright.

 _ **Yes Black Ranger. You should all go and get some rest.**_ _**For now, Lord Zedd and Rita will wallow in their defeat, but you must be ready. I fear they will not take the addition of the dino thunder ranger laying down.**_

"Zordon's right," Dr. Oliver told them, letting his eyes rest on Billy and Ethan who were about to protest. They still had a lot of work to do on the clock if they were going to restore the rangers to their proper ages. "You guys go back to the cabin," he added in, reaching over the console and picking up Pandora's box. "I'll meet you there after I bring this back."

The other ten rangers each nodded. Ethan, Kimberly, Billy, and Adam all powered down as Dr. Oliver shouted "Back to action!" Eleven streaks of light left the Command Center, but only one materialized into a ranger on the lawn in front of the museum.

In the time that had elapsed, the guards had not yet returned to their posts, so Dr. Oliver slipped inside clad in the white ranger's uniform. He carried the box in one hand and Saba in the other, just in case he met trouble. He followed the signs that pointed him to the wing that was housing the Greek mythology collection. Once inside, he glanced around, trying to locate the appropriate place for the box. He smirked when he passed a stone statue of a satyr holding a flute to its lips, comforted slightly by the fact that the object Lord Zedd used never failed to return after the rangers had destroyed it. A bit further into the gallery, a bare column stood with a placard beside it.

"Pandora's Box," he read out loud. "Here we are," he added, placing the box he clutched underneath his arm back on the pedestal. "Back where you belong. Right Saba?"

"Quite right! Who are you, anyway?"

"Would you believe, Tommy all grown up?"

"I would indeed," the sword replied, delight evident in its voice. "It was an honor working with you."

"You too," Dr. Oliver replied, with a smile. "I just hope we won't have to do it again." He placed Saba back into his holster and teleported out of the museum.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed guys. Next chapter is one that I know several of you have been waiting for. Kimberly and Dr. Oliver finally get to talk, and Tommy will also get the opportunity to confront his future self.

If you feel so inclined, a review is always nice.

Fateless


	19. Chapter 19

And now, I return you to your regularly scheduled program... sorta. LOL. I hope I did this scene justice.

* * *

Dr. Oliver materialized in the grass between the small lake and the cabin just as a bolt of lightning streaked through the sky. The sky had darkened while the eleven rangers were at the Command Center. He instantly powered down, dashing towards the porch, worried that he might not beat the thunderstorm that was threatening. Thunder shook the area as he reached the porch and opened the door to the cabin stepping inside, only to find the living room area crowded.

"Hey Dr. O!" Kira, Connor, Trent, and Ethan all said as one, grins on their faces. The three child sized rangers had squeezed onto the sofa alongside Adam and Aisha. Billy sat in the recliner, with Kimberly perched on one of the arm rests. Ethan was on the floor, leaning against the outside wall of the cabin, his legs out in front of him, while Rocky and Tommy were also on the floor, sitting in the position known as Indian style. Everyone was smiling.

"What's going on?" Dr. Oliver asked them, walking past and going into the kitchen. He grabbed a glass from the cupboard and used the sink faucet to pour himself a glass of water.

"For once," Adam replied, "absolutely nothing."

"Well, if you don't count the fact that we're still mighty morphin pint sized rangers," Rocky added in, getting a laugh from the group around him. Connor, Kira, and Trent nodded agreement, despite having never been mighty morphin anything. Dr. Oliver smirked, and took a seat on one of the dining room chairs.

"Looks like rain," he told them, his eyes glancing out the window as another bolt of lightning illuminated the area. "What time is it anyway?" He glanced down at his wrist, looking for the watch Kira had gotten him that morning and not finding it. He remembered instantly that he'd forgotten to put it on that morning. However, his wrist wasn't bare, as he still wore Rocky's communicator. He unlatched it, and held it out to the boy. "This is yours," he told him.

"Keep it for now," Rocky replied. "You need it more than I do. At least till Billy gets us back to normal."

"It's nearly seven thirty," Adam answered Dr. Oliver's question at the same time that Rocky had addressed the communicator. Dr. Oliver nodded to them both and put the communicator back on his wrist, briefly studying the red color of the metallic band. "How's that going by the way?" Adam directed to Billy and Ethan.

"Well, I got the device working again," Billy stated. Before he could continue, Aisha cut him off.

"That's great Billy!" she exclaimed happily.

"Why didn't you say so?" Tommy added in, his face breaking out in a smile. Connor and Trent high fived each other, while Rocky cheered, and Kira grinned. "Why didn't we just use it before we left the Command Center?"

"He said he got it working again," Ethan interrupted the kids' celebration. Even Dr. Oliver had looked cautiously optimistic, but he'd kept a check on his reaction. "Meaning it functions."

"So?" Rocky asked, not quite understanding.

"Have you forgotten what it does?" Billy asked him, a smirk on his face. Rocky and Tommy both looked confused. "It works. But I haven't figured out how to reverse its effect. If we used it on you now, there's a good chance you'd end up in diapers, or worse."

The color drained out of the six kids faces as they took in Billy's words. A moment before they'd all been ready to teleport back to the Command Center. Now, they sunk back down onto the floor and the furniture. Even Dr. Oliver looked paler at the thought.

"Having them this young is more than enough for me," Adam told everyone, and Aisha hit him.

"I don't know, Adam," Kimberly giggled, kneeling on her knees behind Tommy. She hugged him to her, placing her chin on top of his head. "I bet they'd be cute as babies." Tommy, horrified at the thought, fought his way out of her arms, his mouth falling open, as he glared at her. "I'm kidding," she told him. Tommy pouted in response, and turned his back on her, while everyone else joined in her laughter.

"We'll get back to work on it tomorrow," Ethan said, once his mirth was under control. Billy nodded agreement, still snickering a bit at the look on his leader's face. Even Dr. Oliver had cracked a smile at Kimberly's joke, despite that it was kind of at his own expense.

"You'd better," Connor replied. He shuddered as he recalled Billy's diaper comment. "I'm getting tired of being small."

"At least you can reach a table without sitting on your knees," Kira complained, glaring at him a bit in her jealousy. Connor stuck his tongue out at her and Kira responded in the same manner.

"Children!" Dr. Oliver scolded, causing both regressed teenagers to turn their glares on him. He just laughed at them. "So," he stated, turning his attention towards the group as a whole. "What's the plan for dinner?"

"Well, Billy and Adam said they'd stay this time," Kimberly spoke up. "What do you guys say we get pizza?"

"In this?" Ethan asked, gesturing to the windows. Sure enough, the sky had darkened further, and the lightning/thunder combinations were growing more frequent. They could see the trees around the cabin and the lake swaying under the movement of the wind.

"We can teleport remember," Adam told him. Ethan's face had the expression of 'duh! I knew that.'

"Sounds good to me," Rocky replied to Kimberly's idea and everyone else nodded, as she went to the phone to place the groups' usual order. She figured she'd just add one more pie in to compensate for the fact that there five more individuals present. She didn't need to add more because she was pretty sure that at the very least, Aisha, Kira, Trent, and Tommy's appetites would be diminished. She wasn't sure if shrinking could actually affect Rocky's appetite, and since Connor was a red ranger, she didn't doubt he could match Rocky in a food eating competition.

When she hung up the phone and turned back around, the living room was much emptier. She frowned, her eyes settling on Ethan, who had moved from the floor to the couch as it was vacated. The only other individuals in the room were Tommy and Aisha. "Where'd everyone go?" she asked, confused.

"Adam and Billy teleported into town to get the pizza," Ethan told her. "And Connor said something about a board game he and Trent found. The other kids are up there," he said, pointing toward the loft.

"You two didn't want to join?" Kimberly asked Aisha and Tommy. Aisha shook her head no, while Tommy just shrugged. Aisha climbed off the sofa, yawning.

"I'm going to lay down for a bit before dinner. Still feeling a little off," she stated, and Kimberly nodded as she disappeared into the back bedroom.

"What are you going to do?" Kimberly asked her regressed boyfriend, who shrugged again. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing I guess," he replied, sensing that she wasn't going to let it go. He sighed, walked over, and kissed her on the cheek, letting a small smile grace his lips. "I'll go play with them," he stated, resigned. Kim smiled back and watched him wander away, heading up the stairs into the loft where he was greeted immediately.

"Where's Dr. Oliver?" Kimberly asked Ethan, who had picked up a magazine. Ethan shrugged in response.

"I think he went outside."

"In this?" Kimberly asked. Ethan shrugged again and turned his attention to the magazine. Kimberly walked toward the door and opened it, finding Dr. Oliver sitting on the porch steps, protected from the weather by the awning. The rain hadn't started yet, but it was clearly only a matter of time. He looked back over his shoulder at the sound of the door closing behind her, as Kimberly walked toward him, taking a seat on the stairs beside him. "You promised we'd talk today."

Dr. Oliver wanted to argue. He wanted to come up with an excuse. He could have told her he was too tired. That the white ranger's powers had been more than exhausting. But he knew she was more perceptive than that. In fact, he was still buzzing with energy as the only partially familiar power still coursed through his body. The power from the black dino gem was strong; maybe even stronger. But the white ranger's power was an entire other feeling. Kimberly knew his current body's expressions. He knew she'd be able to spot a lie. So, despite the fact that his adult brain was screaming that this was a very bad idea, he simply nodded once. "What do you want to know?"

Kimberly sighed, and brushed her hair out of her face. She examined the teenage boy in front of her. Everything was familiar. His features, his hair pulled back in a ponytail, his clothing, his arms, and his chest. But there was something different in his eyes that reminded her of the man she'd met at the Command Center a week ago. He was colder, darker, more secluded than her boyfriend. And behind that, there was pain. Not all the time. Not when he spoke to Connor, Kira, Ethan, and Trent. Sometimes it wasn't even there when he spoke with Billy, Rocky, Adam, and Aisha. But when he spoke to Tommy or to her, she could see it.

It was that pain, and the fact that he'd said he didn't know where anyone was that had been bothering her for a week. Even when she wasn't around him, Kimberly was thinking about what he had and hadn't told them. When she looked at her friends, she saw unbreakable bonds, so it didn't make sense to her that those bonds were in fact broken. She thought hers and Tommy's was the strongest, but that bond didn't seem to be just broken. She had a gut feeling that it was non-existent.

"What happened?" she asked simply, knowing he would know exactly what she meant. If he had ever been her Tommy, she wouldn't need a lot of words to express herself.

Dr. Oliver sighed. Of course she wanted to know that. He'd known that was her question before she'd even asked it. And it was loaded. It wasn't a simple, what happened to the rangers? Or even a simple what happened to him and her? She saw the pain. Kimberly wanted to know what had happened to him that changed him into the man he was, instead of the man she loved. "I already told you, people grow up. They grow apart. High school relationships aren't expected to last forever." He may have been referring to their romantic one, or even the ones between him and his friends.

"Don't give me that," Kimberly retorted, her eyes narrowing as she tried to keep her temper down. She knew he was avoiding giving her a straight answer, and she wasn't going to let him. "We're not ordinary high schoolers. Our bonds are stronger than that. So I'll repeat, what happened?"

"We broke up!" he snarled at her. Kimberly blinked. She had expected something like that, but the simplicity of his statement told her that it was deeper. He blamed their break up for the demise of his relationship with everyone else. Dr. Oliver tore his eyes away from hers, not wanting to look into them. It confused him. Listening to her, he could see himself – twenty seven, talking to a seventeen year old girl. If he saw her face, he wasn't an adult anymore. He was a love struck teenager, and he didn't trust his reaction.

"When?" she asked, quietly moving closer to him. She hesitantly placed her hand on his shoulder, expecting him to jerk away from her. He didn't, but he didn't turn to look at her.

"Soon," he replied, his voice just as quiet. His response wasn't angry, but it was tinged with regret and sadness as he thought back over the letter she'd sent him, or rather, would send him in only a few months. Tommy and Kimberly would not be together by the time the year ended.

"We don't just break up, do we?" Kimberly asked. He could feel the warmth of her body beside him and her breath near his neck. He shook his head, both in answer to her question and as a way to clear his thoughts. He was struggling to get through this without breaking. Talking about it brought back every memory. He could hear the words "Tommy I've met someone else," in Adam's voice. He remembered falling into the depression. He remembered dating Kat to try and replace her. He remembered when Divatox had kidnapped her and even seeing his face was not enough to break the evil spell on her. He remembered watching her with Jason, although he later learned that there was nothing to that. And he remembered pulling away from each of his friends one by one to avoid ever being hurt in the same way again. "It's my fault," Kimberly whispered, tears spilling over her eyes and down her face.

Dr. Oliver turned his head to face her, wanting to tell her that she was wrong. He didn't go after her. He didn't fight for her. He regretted that decision every day of his life. But despite that, he had always blamed her. But now, she was sitting beside him, one hand on his shoulder, tears brimming in her eyes as she realized the truth about what she would do. Although the letter she'd written had said it was the hardest thing she'd ever had to do, he hadn't believed her. He'd always pictured her smiling and happy, in the arms of the man she'd found, as she penned the letter that shattered his entire world. That image was destroyed, seeing her cry at the mere idea of them no longer being together, at the fact that she was the one who would end their relationship. Whatever else the letter had said, it was clear in that moment that she had told the truth about it being the hardest thing she'd done. "I'm sorry," she whispered, looking up and meeting his eyes with hers. They swam with unshed tears, glistening as another bolt of lightning illuminated them.

Dr. Oliver leaned forward, and brushed a tear off of her cheek with his thumb as he cupped her face. He hated seeing her cry. As angry as she had made him, even a decade later, he couldn't stand seeing Kimberly cry. His anger at her in that moment, melted away, as he realized that no matter what, she would be truly remorseful when the time to send the letter actually came. However, instead of giving away to sane thoughts, as his anger dissipated, the emotions he'd been fighting for so long to control took over. He could feel her breath on his face. The softness of her skin underneath his fingertips was electrifying. Without thinking, he leaned forward, closing the last few inches of distance between them, and placed his lips against hers, feeling her kiss him back.

Nearly thirty seconds later, the kiss was only broken due to the sound of the cabin door slamming shut behind them. Both Dr. Oliver and Kimberly sprung apart startled, emotions and hormones running high. "Damn it," Dr. Oliver cursed under his breath, his mind completely on Kimberly and not on who had slammed the door. Kimberly blushed bright red and looked up at him from underneath her eyelids.

"I'm sorry," she muttered, pushing back away from him as quickly as she could. Dr. Oliver who was more pale than red, seemed to ignore her. He pushed himself to his feet, muttered something about a run, and took off before she could even think to stop him.

Within moments, Dr. Oliver was completely out of sight of the cabin. He was running through the thick woods, purposely avoiding any trails present. Only instinct prevented him from colliding with any of the trees. He ran with steady strokes of his legs, his pace never wavering. He wasn't sure how long or how far he'd run when he came to a halt, breathing hard, in the middle of a tiny clearing. Out from under the cover of the trees, he began to realize that at some point since he'd hopped off the porch steps, the rain that had been threatening had begun to fall. His hair tie had fallen out, snagged on a branch during his dash through the woods. His arms and legs were scratched up as well from where he'd ignored thorny undergrowth. He was leaning forward, hands on his knees, attempting to catch his breath, when he finally allowed thoughts back into his mind.

Anger gripped him as he stood up straight, and whirled around, punching a thick oak tree and bloodying his knuckles. "You think this is funny, don't you!" he shouted towards the sky. He was far enough from civilization that even without the thunder that followed, no one could hear him. The rain falling harder masked the tears that streamed down his face. "You think you can just meddle in our lives for all eternity? We're just play things to you!"

Losing Kimberly and his friends had made him a harder and more distant person. It had made him angrier and more sarcastic. Most of all, it had made him sure that there was some supreme being who lurked inside the inner workings of the morphing grid with the sole purpose of making the lives of former rangers miserable. Sure, there were many who escaped its wrath, but the being apparently had favorites, and Dr. Oliver was pretty sure he was at the top of that list.

He whirled around again, and struck a different tree with his other fist, once again, scratching up his hand and causing it to bleed. He ignored the pain and continued to land blow after blow, and kick after kick, on the defenseless trees surrounding the clearing. When he'd drained himself of energy, he slowly dropped to his knees, his hair hanging limp around his entire face. And then he really and truly cried. It was the first time he'd cried since about a week after getting her letter. He cried about losing her. He cried about losing each and every one of the friends he'd left back in the cabin. And then he cried about losing himself. The entire time, his arms dangled beside his body as it heaved and shook with the effort of his tears.

It was a long time before he regained any type of composure over his own body. By that point, he was soaked to the bone, and exhausted. Not to mention bloody and muddy, and emotionally drained. He wanted to kick himself for kissing Kimberly. There were so many things wrong with what he had done, that it wasn't even possible to rank them. She'd broken his heart. She was a decade younger than him. She was a minor. She belonged to someone else. But she had kissed him back, so it wasn't entirely his fault.

Slowly, Dr. Oliver regained his feet, and spun around, attempting to determine which way he'd come crashing into the clearing. Settling on a direction, he began to walk back towards the cabin, through the darkness of the woods. Hours, and many stumbles later, he finally found his way back to the lake and cabin. From the edge of the woods, he could see that light still shone from the porch, but inside, it was dark. The clouds obscured the moon, so he had absolutely no way of guessing the time, but he figured it was probably pressing towards midnight.

A lone figure was waiting for him, illuminated by the light on the porch. It wasn't until he was only a few feet away that he realized who it was, and sighed, bracing himself. Since the door had slammed, bringing him back to his senses, he'd always known it was Tommy who had seen them. Now, the boy stood, leaning against the wall of the cabin, arms crossed over his chest, glaring at the adult in a teenager's body. He didn't say anything, and neither did Dr. Oliver. Instead, both just stood, staring at each other. One's face resigned, while the other held nothing but anger.

Finally, the boy took a few steps closer to the man standing in the grass, stopping at the edge of the porch. "I really hate you, you know that?" Tommy started, anger flashing in his eyes. As a teenager all he'd felt was disappointment in who he would become. Sure, as a ranger, it seemed like he was a legend. Kira, Connor, Ethan, and Trent seemed in awe of him half the time, and he had a feeling they weren't the only ones. But being a ranger wasn't all there was to life. What good was it if he lost his friends in the process? They were the ones that truly mattered to him, and despite Billy's promise that the machine was going to lock away his memories, Tommy had promised himself he would find a way to change things. However, now, with the emotional control of a child, his disappointment had morphed into anger. He couldn't understand why this man that was supposed to be himself had let his friends go. Why he had let Kimberly go? If he was in his future selves place, he would have fought for them. He knew he would. And to make it even worse, Dr. Oliver was slowly taking his place. On the team. When morphed, Alpha had referred to him as the white ranger. There was only one white ranger, and it wasn't the individual who currently fit the uniform. And most importantly, it seemed he was taking Tommy's place with Kim. A few tears dropped down his face as he continued to stare at his older self, or more so at the face that currently should have been his. "How could you let them all go?"

"It wasn't that simple," Dr. Oliver told him, keeping his voice quiet.

"Not that simple? Ethan showed us his cell phone. He said everyone has one. How hard would it be to pick one up and make a call?" Tommy accused. Dr. Oliver just shook his head. In a way, the boy was right. But the damage had been done. His friends wouldn't want to hear from him. "And what about Kimberly?" the boy hissed. "You obviously still love her. Why don't you know where she is?"

"I…" Dr. Oliver had looked up, eyes blazing at the boy's accusation. He wasn't sure if he could argue with those words. When they'd first arrived in Angel Grove, he'd been sure he hated her. Or at least it was very strong dislike. However, since then, he'd had the chance to relive his relationship with her by watching how she interacted with Tommy. And he had realized he still had feelings for her, beyond what the regression was making him feel. It may not have been love, but it definitely wasn't hate. Tommy shook his head at his older self.

"I promise you, I will not become you," he paused for a moment, whipping the tears away from his eyes. "I don't care what I have to do to stop it." Silence overtook them both for a few moments as the boy struggled to maintain his composure. "And if you ever touch her again," Tommy finally spoke slowly, malice in his every word. "I will kill you." Dr. Oliver recognized the tone as one he'd only used for a short time – when he was Rita's evil green ranger, although he'd never said the word kill. Despite reverting to evil a few other times over the course of his ranger career, he'd never sounded quite as sadistic. "Do you understand?"

Dr. Oliver nodded. He wasn't scared. It was hard to be scared of himself. But he knew that there was nothing that would ever make him go down that road with a teenage Kimberly again. "Then I won't say anything if you won't," Tommy told him. Again, Dr. Oliver nodded, as Tommy stepped to the side and let him inside the cabin.

* * *

Dr. Oliver didn't even wait for Billy to arrive the following morning. He was up and dressed by six in the morning. Technically he'd never gone to bed. It had been impossible with Kimberly sleeping on the couch beside him. Once he and Tommy had entered the cabin Saturday night, he had disappeared into the bathroom to shower. He was filthy after his journey into the woods. When he returned to the living room he found that Tommy had fallen asleep on the floor at the base of the couch, clearly too upset to leave Kimberly and Dr. Oliver alone in the room.

So on Sunday morning, as soon as the first rays of light had filtered in through the cabin windows, Dr. Oliver fixed himself a mug of coffee, careful not to wake anyone, and then slipped out of the house. He used the buttons on Rocky's communicator to teleport himself to the Command Center. He was a little surprised that Zordon didn't seem surprised to see him. He'd simply greeted the man and let him get to work on the finishing touches of the memory device. His fingers had itched to begin work on the clock, but that was Billy's project, and since Adam and Kim had enlisted his help with the children, he had no idea where to begin. Plus, Billy's statement about regressing further was enough to make him steer clear of the device.

Billy and Ethan arrived about an hour and half later, materializing with a blue and grey streak of light. "There you are," Ethan told his teacher as Billy set about pulling out his tools. "Kira's freaking out about you disappearing last night and then not being there when we woke up."

"Tommy saw me come in," Dr. Oliver replied, not looking up from the memory device. He was tightening some wires. Ethan walked over and snatched the tools from his hands, getting a glare in response. Ethan just glared back.

"Quit acting like a child," Ethan told him. "Whatever happened last night, you've got to get over it." Dr. Oliver didn't respond. "Kira's not the only one panicking. Connor and Trent looked about ready to cry too. Remember, children in everything except memory and intellect."

"Ethan's right Dr. Oliver," Billy told him. "Your disappearance has caused the dino thunder rangers an enormous amount of distress. Aisha appeared very worried as well. You should go back, we've got this."

Dr. Oliver turned his attention back to Billy, reading the expression on his face. Billy clearly knew something he wasn't going to let Ethan find out about. That wasn't surprising considering how close he was with both Kim and Tommy. With a sigh, he nodded.

"You're sure?" he asked, double checking.

"Affirmative. I had an idea last night. If it works, we might be able to test out the clock this evening. Have you all back to normal by tonight."

"If you can call us all normal," Ethan laughed, a smirk on his face. Dr. Oliver nodded again, and tapped the button on Rocky's communicator, allowing himself to teleport back to right outside the cabin.

Now that the sun had risen high enough in the sky, the day didn't quite give him as much of a gloomy feeling as it had that morning. Still, he hesitated on the front porch, his hand lingering over the door knob. He twisted it slowly, and then quietly entered the cabin, nearly silently, and took in the scene. Adam sat in the recliner, flipping through the pages of an old magazine. To the untrained eye he looked relaxed, but Dr. Oliver could read the anxiety in his face. The six children sat at the table with bowls of cereal in front of them. Tommy and Rocky were talking in hushed voices, while Aisha flipped through another magazine, her worry etched across her face. Connor, Trent, and Kira sat on the other side of the table. The boys absentmindedly stirred their spoons in the bowls, while Kira flicked hers, hiccupping quietly. She'd clearly been crying. The only other sound was that of the shower stopping, which he figured was Kimberly's location. Dr. Oliver closed the door behind him, letting it click shut and getting everyone's attention. Relief washed over five of the seven faces in the room. Tommy sat back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest, as he glared at the older version of himself. The sixth face broke into a wide smile as Kira screamed "Dr. O!" and jumped off the chair, running towards him and latching herself onto his waist. "I thought… I thought…" she broke into tears again.

"It's alright Kira," he told her. "I'm fine." He reached down and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her small body. He hadn't thought about how his sudden disappearance would affect the rest of his current team – especially those with minimal control of their emotions.

"Told you," Tommy stated simply. Adam gave the boy a look that silenced him.

"You both ok?" Dr. Oliver asked, looking straight at Connor and Trent. They both nodded, small smiles adding to the relief on their faces.

"Where have you been?" Adam asked him. "We've been worried sick. But Kim said to leave you alone, and Tommy said you did come back last night."

"Needed some space last night," Dr. Oliver replied, trying to pry Kira off his leg. When that failed, he picked her up and carried her to the sofa, dropping her on it. "I was anxious to get to work on the device this morning," he added in, as Aisha, Rocky, Connor, and Trent migrated over. Aisha crawled up onto the couch beside Kira, as Dr. Oliver fell into the third seat.

"You could have left a note," Rocky told him.

"I take it Ethan reamed you out?" Connor asked, leaning over the back of the sofa. "He was really pissed off that you weren't here when Kira started crying." Dr. Oliver raised an eyebrow at the boy and Connor realized Ethan must have blabbed about how distraught he and Trent had been too. He looked away from his teacher's gaze. Dr. Oliver smirked.

"He did," he replied. "He was right, I shouldn't have left."

The door to the bathroom opened, and Kimberly emerged, drying her hair in a towel. "Oh," she stated, with a blush as her eyes fell on Dr. Oliver. "You're back," she added, trying to keep the relief out of her own voice. Dr. Oliver met her eyes with her own as they both silently promised to pretend that the previous night hadn't happened.

"Yeah," he replied. "Got my ass handed to me by the two blue rangers who reminded me of what an idiot I was for not telling you guys where I was going."

"You deserved it," Aisha informed him, with a smile.

"So now that we know he's not dead," Trent put in, ducking the cuff Dr. Oliver attempted to give him, "what are we doing today?"

"How about we just stay here," Adam suggested. "Nice, quiet, safe, sane cabin. No one disappearing, no one under mind control, no one almost dying. I could go for some of that."

"The cabin's boring," Rocky whined. "Can we go back to the park?"

"Ugh…" Adam groaned, leaning his head back against the recliner.

"Please?" Aisha and Connor both pleaded with grins on their faces.

"Well, their park day did get interrupted yesterday," Dr. Oliver told him. Adam shifted his glare onto the man-teenager. "We gave Zedd and Rita a good shake up yesterday. It's doubtful they'll attack again so soon. Plus, it might be there last chance to stretch their legs," he added in.

"You mean?" Tommy finally spoke, unable to resist reacting to what Dr. Oliver was suggesting.

"Yep," Dr. Oliver stated. "Billy thinks he'll be able to get the clock running the way we need it by this evening. Just in time for school tomorrow."

"I never thought I'd be so excited to go back to school," Rocky said as he and Aisha hugged. Tommy grinned widely. Connor and Trent exchanged high fives, while Kira jumped up and hugged Dr. Oliver around the neck. Kimberly and Adam both wore relieved smiles.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed. Let me know what you all think.

Fateless


	20. Chapter 20

Last chapter for the weekend, and my students are turning in their first big assignment for the semester this week, so I'll be spending a lot of time grading. I have one more chapter written (not proof read) but I don't like posting until I've at least started the next one, so I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up. I'm hoping I'll get it up by Friday or Saturday if I can spend a bit of time writing.

I'm glad to hear you're all enjoying. Please keep reviewing. I love hearing everything you all have to say. Oh, and this chapter officially puts me over 100K words. I'm very excited.

* * *

For the first time since Wednesday night, everything went smoothly, aside from the fact that Tommy, Kimberly, and Dr. Oliver were all avoiding each other. However, there were no screaming matches, no one ended up in a fist fight, and the only thing that attacked were the imaginary monsters that the child rangers pretended to fight at random points during their day at the park on Sunday.

Around half past six, Billy contacted them all via Adam's communicator, summoning them to the Command Center. When they arrived, they found both blue rangers looking very pleased with themselves.

"Tell me you found a way to fix it?" Dr. Oliver asked them with a smile on his face. He was quite pleased with how the day had gone, and it looked like it was going to end on a high note. Billy and Ethan grinned back.

"We did," Ethan assured him.

"Yes!" Connor and Rocky shouted, both high fiving one another, differences clearly set aside. The other five regressed rangers wore huge grins.

"Let's do this then," Dr. Oliver stated, pulling Rocky's communicator off his wrist and handing it back to the boy. Billy nodded, lifting up the clock.

"Stand over there," Billy pointed towards the viewing globe and the rangers split up. Adam and Kimberly joined Alpha behind the two blue rangers while the seven others lined up facing them with the viewing globe at their backs. Rocky stood on one end beside Aisha, who had Tommy on her other side. Next came Connor, Trent, and Kira, and lastly the teenage Dr. Oliver. "Ready?"

"Hurry up already," Rocky laughed, bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement.

"Alright, alright," Billy laughed in response. He did one last check on the clock device's settings, before holding it out in front of him. "Here goes," he added, pressing a button on the top and turning his head away as a blinding flash of light filled the command center. Kim, Adam, and Ethan all looked away as well, trying to shield their eyes from the glow. The surge of power set off the Command Center's alarms as Alpha began to panic adding a series of "Ay yi yi yi yi" to the sounds in the room.

A moment later, the light collapsed in on its point of origin, knocking Billy, who was holding the clock, backwards. Ethan and Adam caught him, preventing him from falling to the floor. "Um…" Kimberly stated, pointing in front of them. The three boys followed her finger towards the viewing globe and the line of rangers. Where a moment ago, six children and a teenager had stood, now stood three teenagers and four children, all looking at one another confused. "It didn't work."

"It did," Ethan stated.

"Just not on all of them," Adam finished for him, he started stunned.

"You have got to be kidding me," Tommy groaned, now looking up at both Rocky and Aisha, who wore mixed expressions. They couldn't stop looking down at their hands, realizing that they were full grown again. But at the same time, concern filled them as they gazed at the other five. The device had only managed to return the two of them to their rightful ages, leaving their leader and the four dino thunder rangers still regressed.

"What went wrong Billy?" Dr. Oliver asked. He also couldn't tare his eyes away from the two full grown rangers. "They're not going to revert again, are they?" he added, worried that the effects of the device might be temporary due to the fact that it didn't work exactly as had been planned.

"I'm not sure," Billy stated, mystified. "I checked the calculations multiple times, it should have worked."

"Could it have something to do with the reaction of the power coins yesterday?" Ethan asked. It was the only thing different about Rocky and Aisha from the other five regressed individuals. Billy shook his head.

"I don't think so. Their scans showed everything was normal," Billy replied.

 _ **Billy,**_ Zordon interrupted. _**I have an idea. Check the supply of moon dust inside the clock.**_

"Of course Zordon," Billy stated, realization settling in on his face. He set the clock on a console and opened a back panel. "I forgot the device runs on moon dust." He pulled a pouch out of the compartment he'd opened. He pulled on the bag and tipped it over into his hand. Nothing came out. He sighed, and looked back up over at the other rangers. Adam had since moved closer to his two best friends and was poking Rocky, almost as if he didn't believe his friend was real. Rocky was just grinning, while Aisha hit Adam. Tommy, Connor, Trent, and Kira all looked disappointed. "Well, that explains it; the bag's empty."

"It ran out of moon dust?" Trent asked.

"Can't we just get some more?" Connor asked.

"I'm not sure," Billy stated. "Zordon, will our suits allow us to survive on the moon?"

"Yes," Dr. Oliver stated simply, his hand against his head as he shook it.

"How do you know?" Kimberly asked him, eyebrow raised.

"Really, you've been to Edenoi, Phaedos, and the Deserted Plant, and you're asking me how I know we can survive on the moon?" Dr. Oliver asked her, a little too harshly. Thus far he'd managed to avoid speaking with her. Kimberly blushed and looked away. "Sorry," he muttered, seeing her response. "I didn't mean it like that."

Adam stepped up to answer his question. "There's more to it than that, isn't there?" he asked.

Dr. Oliver sighed in response. "Two years ago, I teamed up with nine of earth's red rangers to travel to the moon in order to destroy Serpentera," Dr. Oliver replied, moving towards Billy. When Adam opened his mouth to ask another question, Dr. Oliver held his hand up. "Don't ask. It'll just lead to more questions." Adam nodded, swallowing his question.

"I get to go to the moon," Dr. Oliver heard Rocky whisper to Aisha. He smirked, but didn't have the heart to inform him otherwise. Rocky was the only red ranger not to have been involved in that particular mission. Due to his separation from his friends, Dr. Oliver wasn't exactly sure why, but hearing the current red ranger's enthusiasm he didn't doubt that something truly important had kept him away.

"Zordon, is there enough power in the teleporter to get us to the moon?" Billy asked. "It's the only way to power the machine."

 _ **Yes Billy. But it is too late in the day to do so. The trip there and back will take a couple of hours, and your parents will be worried.**_

Billy nodded, but his face showed disappointment, as did the other rangers. Still, they all knew better than to argue with Zordon. He nodded, and slipped the pouch into his pocket. He turned and faced his friends. "One more day," he told Tommy, Connor, Kira, Trent, and Dr. Oliver, "alright?"

"Yeah," Connor told him in response, with a nod.

"We'll go right after school," Adam stated.

"Aww man," Rocky groaned. "I forgot about school. I haven't done any of my homework."

"Me either," Aisha laughed.

"Speaking of school," Kimberly stated, looking at Dr. Oliver. "You're going to need to come with us tomorrow."

"What?" Tommy and Dr. Oliver both stated at the same time, looking at her as if she was a two headed monster. Rocky and Adam both smirked at their response, while Aisha and Kimberly laughed.

"She's right," Billy put in. "And you'll have to go home to your parents tonight. There will be chaos if Tommy doesn't show up. I'm surprised we were able to carry out the ruse for this long without being questioned."

"But," both Tommy and Dr. Oliver started a sentence.

"No buts," Adam told them. "Home and school," he stated, placing both hands on Dr. Oliver's shoulders. He looked over at Tommy. "He can't do any worse than you," he told the boy. Tommy glared at him, but smirked and nodded his head, accepting the inevitable.

"Be happy I at least got all my work done Wednesday before the dance," Tommy told Dr. Oliver. His anger hadn't completely disappeared, but he was thinking more like his teenage self, and therefore could better control his emotions. Still, civil behavior aside, he was determined to undo the mess that Dr. Oliver appeared to have made with his life.

"Ethan," Aisha asked, "can you handle your teammates and Tommy on your own tomorrow?"

"Um… I think so," he stated, glancing out the side of his vision at Connor who wore a devilish grin, almost as he was planning something. When the cat's away, the mice will play, after all.

"Just don't leave the cabin tomorrow," Dr. Oliver added in, realizing that he obviously wasn't going to get out of going home and to school with the current rangers the next day. "Connor, I'm serious."

"Got it Dr. O," Connor replied, but his grin didn't lessen.

Dr. Oliver just shook his head at the teenager turned child. "We'll be back as soon as school lets out." Ethan nodded in response, not taking his eyes off his best friend. "Alright, let's get going so we can get this over with."

"Gee, don't make it sound like you're going before a firing squad," Rocky laughed at him. Adam clapped him on the back as the rangers all gathered together to teleport.

* * *

Dr. Oliver stood at his old locker the next day, staring at the combination lock on it. He'd struggled to remember the combination when he used it on a daily basis. How was he expected to remember it nearly a decade later?

"Fourteen-eight-eleven," Kimberly's voice stated from just behind him. He looked over at her, realizing she was wearing an amused smile. He shook his head and let a slight smile play over his own lips as he put in the numbers she instructed. Once he'd turned back to the locker to try the combination, Kimberly walked up beside him, and leaned against a few others, her books in hands, hugged to her chest. "How'd last night go?" she asked him.

Billy had teleported him to his block, and Dr. Oliver had finished the walk to his home on his own. It felt weird, walking into the house and being greeted by his parents. However, it wasn't entirely disconcerting. After all, he did still see and speak to his parents on a regular basis. His mom had fewer wrinkles, and his dad had a bit more hair, but otherwise, they were nearly identical to the last time he had seen them. Dinner conversation had been relatively normal, except for the fact that he had to make up activities that he and Billy had participated in over the long weekend he'd spent away from home. He made a mental note to tell Tommy that he and Billy had supposedly gone fishing and camping. He tried to be as vague as possible with his parents.

After dinner, he'd excused himself, telling his parents he still had a bit of homework to do as an excuse not to show himself again. He bade them a goodnight and had climbed the stairs to his second floor bedroom. Memories had flooded him as he looked around. The room was a mess, but he knew Tommy could find anything he needed. For a moment, he wandered around the bedroom, collecting the book bag and notebooks he would need for the next day. He found all of Tommy's homework scattered across the desk in the corner, and he put the papers inside the book bag as well. Sighing, he'd sat down on the side of the bed, and scanned the room. Everywhere there were reminders of what he'd lost. A picture on the dresser was one that had been taken when he and Jason had won the team ninja competition. Other photos showed himself with the original power ranger team. Still more, showed when Adam, Rocky, and Aisha had taken Zack, Jason, and Trini's places when the latter three left for the peace conference. And most of all, there were countless pictures of him and Kimberly. He tried his best to ignore those as he changed his clothing for a pair of Tommy's sweat pants, and climbed into the bed.

He'd showered, dressed, eaten, and left for school before his parent's had woken up that morning. For once, he was early for school instead of right on time or late. He'd walked through the familiar doors and into the hallway, startled a bit by hearing greetings of "Hey Tommy", "Hi Tommy", or "How was your weekend Tommy." Back in Reefside, aside from his parents, only Haley called him Tommy. He reminded himself that he needed to acknowledge those who spoke to him, at least until he'd found himself staring at his locker.

Remembering all that, Dr. Oliver smirked in response to Kim's question. "Not bad," he told her. "It was nice to see my parents," he added in as the locker opened. Of course Kim knew his combination. A photograph on the inside of the locker door had come loose and fluttered down to the ground. Kimberly stooped to pick it up, handing it back to him. He glanced at it, fighting the blush that attempted to rise on his cheeks as he saw that it was a picture of the two of them. "I'm a little weirded out by some other things though," he told her, tossing the photo back inside. Tommy could fix it later.

"Hey Kim; Hey Tommy," Rocky's voice reached his ears, causing Dr. Oliver to cringe. The rangers referring to him as Tommy was worse than anyone else.

"Like that," Dr. Oliver told Kimberly, who giggled at his pained expression. Dr. Oliver placed his a few books he thought he might not need till later inside his locker and shut it, turning around and swinging his book bag higher onto his shoulder. He observed Rocky, Billy, Aisha, and Adam walking toward the two of them.

"You're on time," Billy told him. "Be careful, or you'll damage his reputation," he added with a laugh. Dr. Oliver shot him a look.

"Are you guys sure I have to do this?" he muttered, causing them all to laugh at him.

"One hundred percent," Adam replied. "You don't want Mr. Kaplan calling his parents to report him absent do you?" Dr. Oliver shrugged, but knew his friends were right. He nodded resigned.

"Alright, but you're going to have to help," Dr. Oliver told them.

"What do you mean?" Aisha asked.

"Mr. Forgetful here forgot his locker combination," Kimberly laughed, causing everyone, including Dr. Oliver to grin.

"That's Dr. Forgetful to all of you," he laughed. "But, I've forgotten my schedule too," he told them. "You know, it feels like I haven't been in high school in almost ten years," he added with a smirk. Rocky and Adam grinned, while Billy, Kim, and Aisha rolled their eyes at him.

"Come on then," Billy told him. "You've got first period science with me. See you all later?"

"Bye Billy," Adam, Rocky, Aisha, and Kim stated with accompanying nods.

"Bye Tommy," Kimberly and Rocky both added in, mischievous grins playing across their faces. Dr. Oliver gave them both a glare, before realizing Billy was waiting on him. He raced to catch up with his friend, and followed him into the classroom.

Inside the classroom, Dr. Oliver did at least remember where to sit. He took his seat and riffled through his book bag, searching for Tommy's chemistry book. He found it, and pulled it out on the desk as two familiar faces walked in dressed in their junior police patrol uniforms. He tried to suppress his amusement at being in a class with Bulk and Skull again.

"What are you looking at dweeb?" Bulk asked him, causing Dr. Oliver to realize he was staring. He laughed, and turned his gaze away, casting a look over at Billy who was smirking at him again.

"Yeah, what?" Skull asked, copying his leader's stance.

"Nothing," Dr. Oliver stated. He needed to be more conscious about how he behaved for the rest of the day. Billy just shook his head at the older man.

"You're going to need to do better than that," Billy leaned forward in his seat, to whisper in Dr. Oliver's ear. Dr. Oliver waved him off, thinking about the long day ahead as Billy retreated to his seat and the teacher entered the classroom.

Science was uneventful, and Billy directed him to his second class of the day which was math with Adam, Rocky, and Aisha. Dr. Oliver passed Kimberly in the hall on his way there, and both exchanged hesitant, and slightly reluctant smiles, although neither stopped to talk to one another.

After math was English with Rocky and Billy. Out of his three morning classes, this was the most eventful, as Ms. Appleby decided that the students would read their homework essays out loud. He was lost in thought so much that when it was his turn, Dr. Oliver hadn't immediately responded to the teacher calling "Tommy".

"Tommy," Rocky had finally tapped him on the arm from behind. "That's you, remember?" he added, with a laugh. Dr. Oliver had turned nearly the same shade of red as his friend's shirt before realizing he hadn't pulled out his assignment. With a mumbled apology to Ms. Appleby, he finally found Tommy's assignment, carelessly placed inside his history book. He walked to the front of the room, as the class' laughter at his expense died down. When he finished reading the assignment, he looked up over at Ms. Appleby.

"Excellent work Tommy. You seemed much more relaxed in front of the class than you usually do," she remarked. Dr. Oliver realized Billy and Rocky were staring at him with looks of surprise. He ducked his head sheepishly, and shrugged, now embarrassed by her praise, like a normal high schooler. "You must have been practicing."

"Yeah, practice. That's it," he remarked, with a bit of a laugh in his own voice. If only she knew where he'd gotten all the practice. The bell rang at that moment, dismissing the class, and Dr. Oliver made his way back to his desk beside Billy and in front of Rocky. He leaned down to grab his book bag as his friends stood up.

"Nice lecture, Dr. Oliver," Rocky whispered, with a slight grin.

Billy shook his head. "Thought I told you that you needed to act better?" Billy added in, grinning just as wide.

"Shut up," Dr. Oliver told them, feeling more relaxed. He was worried about how his interactions with the rangers was going to go, but thus far they had all been treating him as if he was just one of their group, not an adult authority figure. For the first time in a while he wondered if the same comradery was still possible with the same group, just ten years later, as he contemplated truly reaching out when he returned to his present. While Tommy had made threats about changing his future, Dr. Oliver was pretty sure that wasn't going to happen. The dino thunder rangers still existed, so nothing was drastically different. However, just because Tommy couldn't change his future, didn't mean Dr. Oliver couldn't change his. "So what's next?"

"Lunch," Rocky told him, as the three exited the classroom. They met up with Adam, Aisha, and Kimberly near their lockers. The latter three finished putting their books away while the former three just began opening theirs.

"So, how'd the morning go?" Kimberly asked with a grin.

"Aside from the lecture he just delivered in English, I'd say it wasn't an entire disaster," Billy laughed. Kimberly and Adam gave Dr. Oliver questioning looks. He replied with a slight smile and a shrug of his shoulders.

"You are not a teacher," Adam told him simply. "At least not today," he added, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I don't know you guys," Aisha stated, a bit of worry in her voice. "I overheard some gossip in the bathroom. Everyone seems to think Tommy and Kimberly are on the outs. You two might need to step up the acting a bit."

"No," they both stated at the same time. Dr. Oliver looked pale, while Kimberly blushed beat red. Aisha, Rocky, and Adam all looked between the two of them, confused. Billy just sighed.

"I mean, no. That's alright. Let them think we had a fight or something. One day isn't going to be the end of the world."

"He's right. I'll tell people he forgot our anniversary or something," Kimberly added in. Dr. Oliver nodded agreement.

"Ok," Aisha said simply, drawing out each syllable. "Girl, just don't blame me when Skull asks you out again," she added with a smile.

"I promise I won't," Kimberly assured her, returning the smile. She slung her arm over Aisha's shoulder as the three boys with open lockers shut them and the four followed the two girls to the cafeteria.

After lunch, Kimberly reminded Dr. Oliver that he had history with her. He did not verbally admit that that was the one part of his high school schedule that he had not forgotten. However, instead of walking beside her, he followed her, slightly lost in his own thoughts to the classroom, before taking his seat beside her. Uncaring about the reactions of the other students, Dr. Oliver kept his gaze trained on the teacher and the lecture, rather than letting it linger even for a moment on the girl dressed in pink next to him. He realized the notes he took in history were by far the best he'd taken all day; granted, the notes he'd taken in science, math, and English were probably of higher caliber than Tommy was used to taking. After class, Kimberly had told him where he needed to go to find political science with Adam and Aisha, before turning and heading in the opposite direction. Dr. Oliver noticed a few students staring at him when he turned around after watching her retreat. He glared at them, and they backed off.

He got a little lost on the way to class, arriving just as the teacher was closing the door. He caught a snicker from Adam and saw the grin on Aisha's face as he fell into his seat behind them, receiving a disapproving look from the teacher. "Late much?" Adam whispered to him.

"Got lost," Dr. Oliver replied. Adam laughed, shaking his head. No one could say that Dr. Oliver wasn't doing the Tommy act justice. He'd just wished he could have been present in his friend's English class that morning.

"Good thing we've got shop class together next, or you might be late for that too," Adam told him as they left the classroom together an fifty minutes later, bidding Aisha goodbye as she turned down another hall.

"You all are highly amused by all of this, aren't you?" Dr. Oliver asked Adam. He just grinned and nodded in response.

"Don't forget, this is not your best subject," Adam added as they walked inside well before the teacher was set to arrive, he clapped Dr. Oliver on the back. The man turned teenager just rolled his eyes. "Keep doing that," Adam told him, "and your face will stick like that," he laughed.

With Adam's instructions, Dr. Oliver had no problem making it to his last class of the day – computers. None of his friends were in that class, but he did reencounter Bulk and Skull.

"In the dog house, huh Tommy?" Bulk asked, falling into the seat on his left. Skull appeared on his right, grinning and chewing gum as usual.

"Come on guys, leave me alone," he stated, trying to shrug them off. They both laughed at him.

"Aww, what's the matter? Trouble in paradise," Bulk taunted him. "You know, being single's not all that bad."

"I wouldn't know," Dr. Oliver retorted, refusing to look at either of the two teenagers. He stared straight ahead flicking his pencil around his fingers. "It's just a little disagreement."

"Little disagreement?" Bulk stated. "Rumor has it she wouldn't even talk to you in class today," he laughed. "Face it Tommy, you're over."

"Hey, since she doesn't want you anymore, you mind if I ask her out?" Skull asked him. Dr. Oliver snapped the pencil in his hand in half. "I'll take that as a yes," Skull squeaked.

"Come on Skull," Bulk told his friend nervously as Dr. Oliver glared after them, dragging him away as the teacher entered the room. Dr. Oliver tried to focus on what the man was saying, if only for the purpose of not letting his mind linger on Bulk and Skull's words. Truthfully, they shouldn't have bothered him, but unfortunately, they did.

Finally, the last bell rang, and Dr. Oliver gathered his bags, storming out of the room, past a slightly nervous looking Bulk and Skull. Moving around had allowed him to vent his frustration at the situation, and by the time he reached the lockers, he was in a much better mood. Over all, the day had actually gone relatively smoothly. And, he and his friends would soon be on their way to the Command Center, and the moon. By night fall, he'd have his adult body back. Those thoughts allowed him to fall into easy laughter and conversation with Billy when he arrived at the lockers. They were going with him to the cabin to collect the still regressed children and Ethan before meeting the other three at the Command Center.

* * *

Ethan sat in a chair, his cheeks between his hands, his elbows propped on the table in front of him. He sucked on a straw within a large smoothie, his eyes following the movement of four elementary aged children who was sparing down on the mats. He thought back over the note he'd left pinned to the cabin door, knowing that despite it, he was most certainly going to die later.

 _Dr. O,_

 _At youth center. They begged me. Gave me no choice._

 _Meet us there,_

 _Ethan._

"What?" he stated, glancing up and realizing Ernie had walked over and asked him a question. He'd greeted the teenager when he'd first entered around two o'clock, but another employee had taken care of getting him the smoothie while the four regressed rangers had run off to the sparing mats.

"I said, aren't those the kids from Tommy and Rocky's weekend camp?"

"Oh," Ethan hesitated. "Yeah. These guys are home schooled. Their parents paid for one more day of lessons, but Adam and Tommy had school."

"And you didn't? It's quite a long field trip you've been on. And where are your friends?"

"It's an advanced science class. Immersive in the hands on," Ethan lied. Two more days and they would have been in Angel Grove for two full weeks. "Our teacher gave me the day off for finding the most fossils this past weekend. The others are with him."

Ernie nodded. "You waiting on Tommy and the others?"

"Yeah," he stated. "I don't know a whole lot about martial arts. But babysitting I can do," he added. Ernie smiled and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Well, your wait is over," Ernie stated, gesturing to the door, where a frantic looking Dr. Oliver and Billy had just entered. Ethan gave Ernie a nervous smile as the older man greeted Billy and "Tommy" before going back to work.

"There you are," Billy stated. He looked around the youth center and spotted the four children. They hadn't realized he and Dr. Oliver had entered yet and were still engaged in a sparring match – Tommy versus Kira, with Connor and Trent cheering them both on.

"I thought I told you not to leave the cabin," Dr. Oliver told him, keeping his voice low. Ethan shrugged in response.

"They made me."

"How?" Billy laughed at the thought.

"They're rangers. They got creative. Let's just say they tied me to a chair and leave it at that."

"How did they tie you to a chair?" Dr. Oliver asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"Dude! Seriously? Who do you think was strong enough to pin me down."

"Sorry," Dr. Oliver told him, blushing slightly. Technically Tommy was his past self, so in a way, he was the one responsible.

"Whatever," Ethan said with a shrug. "Can we go now? I'm ready for them to be back to normal."

"Yeah," Dr. Oliver answered with a laugh. "Hey half pints!" he called out, getting the attention of the three boys. The moment Tommy looked away, Kira dropped toward the ground and used her leg in a circular motion to kick his out from underneath him, causing Tommy to land flat on his back. Billy and Dr. Oliver laughed, as Kira stood over him and bowed the way Dr. Oliver and Adam had taught them the other day. Connor and Trent were laughing, and even Tommy, wounded pride, let out a bit of a giggle when Kira offered her hand down to help him up. "You four ready to get going?"

"Yeah," Connor and Trent called back. Kira helped Tommy to his feet and the two followed the other kids, falling into step with Billy, Ethan, and Dr. Oliver as they left the youth center.

* * *

We've almost reached the end of the shrunken rangers arc. But if you thrive on chaos, don't worry, there's still a bit more to come before I send DT back to 2004 (although there will be some chaos there as well).

I hope everyone has a good week. Don't forget, reviews make me happy,

Fateless


	21. Chapter 21

So I've had chapter 21 finished since Sunday night, but I decided to wait until I got a bit ahead to post it. I've also finished chapters 22 and have most of the work on 23 finished. I'm going to be splitting my time between grading and writing this weekend, so hopefully I can get all my work done, and give you guys more chapters. This chapters ends the regressed rangers saga, and begins the final wave of chapters leading towards the rangers return to 2004, which I am very excited about. Granted, I'm pretty excited about the chaos that begins in chapter 23 as well. I have had plot bunnies hopping around in my head all week giving inspiration for the final '95 chapters, the '04 chapters, and a possible sequel. So I'm confident my imagination will cooperate and allow me to finish this story.

Anyway, that was a rather wordy AN. Hope you enjoy,

Fateless

* * *

"What took you guys so long?" Kimberly asked as Dr. Oliver and Billy materialized in the command center with Ethan and the four children of the group. "I thought they'd be in a rush."

"Your boyfriend helped hog tie me to a chair until I agreed to take them to the youth center," Ethan muttered, glaring at Tommy and Connor. Trent and Kira weren't entirely innocent, but it had mainly been the other two who instigated everything. Kimberly looked at Tommy, her mouth partially open. He gave her a shy smile, blushing slightly as he shrugged his shoulders. Adam, Rocky, and Aisha just laughed.

"Alright guys," Billy interrupted. "We need to decide who's going to the moon, and who's staying here."

"Aren't we all going?" Adam asked him. Billy shook his head no.

"The journey there and back will take a couple of hours, and who knows how long it will take to actually get the moon dust. We need to avoid detection by Lord Zedd and Rita when we arrive. They could also choose to attack the earth and the damage they could do if we left it completely undefended… well; I don't want to contemplate that."

"Billy's got a point," Dr. Oliver put in. Rocky, Aisha, and Kimberly all nodded. "I'll stay here. I can take on Goldar if necessary," he added. "And I can work on plans for getting us back home, in the meantime."

"I'd do the most good here as well," Billy added in with a nod. Ethan also agreed to stay. Between him, Dr. Oliver, and Billy, they could potentially devise a way to get back to Reefside in the twenty first century.

"I'm staying too," Kimberly stated. "Four here puts us at greater than half strength," she added in. "Besides, those four," she stated, jerking her thumb at the four kids who were quietly listening to the decision making, "apparently cannot be trusted."

"Who us?" Connor grinned. He normally would have been more insulted, but the fact that he was pretty sure that he would soon be returning to his rightful age in the very near future was making him extremely happy.

"Yes us," Kira giggled, hitting Connor. Trent and Tommy both blushed, looking down at the ground, clearly realizing that tying Ethan to a chair and threatening to dump multiple cans of tomato sauce over his head and leave him there had been a very bad idea.

"You should go if you want to," Tommy told Kimberly. He didn't want her spending any more time with Dr. Oliver. His only comfort over the course of the day was knowing that he only had one class with her. Any other contact between Dr. Oliver and Kimberly would have been chaperoned by the other rangers.

Kimberly shook her head. "Rocky, Adam, and Aisha can handle it."

Billy nodded his agreement, handing Rocky the small pouch from the clock. "You need to fill the entire thing to the brim," he told him. He handed a second container to Aisha. "Fill this too," he stated. Just in case.

"And where exactly do we take the dust from?" Adam asked him.

"The moon is coated with it," Billy explained. "Like top soil. But it won't be deep enough to just grab handfuls. Your best bet will be to use this," Billy added, as Alpha brought over a tool that looked like a miniature version of a pick axe. Billy took it and handed it to Adam. "Use it to chip away at a moon rock. The dust needs to be as fine as sand. Pebbles won't power the clock."

"I thought this would be easy," Rocky moaned. Aisha gave him a reassuring smile.

"Great," Connor muttered. "So there's more than a slight chance that we're not getting back to normal any time soon."

"We'll do everything we can," Adam assured him, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder. Connor nodded, but he didn't look up from his shoes. Trent and Kira looked worried as well, but Tommy looked straight at his three teammates.

"I know you'll succeed," he told the three of them. "You've never let us down before," he added in with a reassuring smile to them. Rocky, Aisha, and Adam nodded.

"Whenever you're ready Rangers," Alpha told them, flipping a few switches and pressing several lit keys on console in front of him.

"We're ready Alpha," Rocky told him. "We'll be back as soon as we can," he told the other eight in room. Tommy, Kimberly, and Billy nodded, hearts and minds with complete confidence in their teammates. The five dino thunder rangers didn't look up. They weren't as assured of the current rangers' success.

 _ **May the power protect you**_ Zordon told them. The three travelers nodded, and placed their right hands behind their back.

"It's Morphin time!" Rocky shouted. The three shifted their arms out in front of them, morphers clutched in their palms.

"Black Ranger Power!"

"Yellow Ranger Power!"

"Red Ranger Power!"

Immediately following their shouts, Alpha initiated the teleport and they were gone.

Rocky wasn't sure how much time had passed since they left the Command Center, but he knew they had definitely been demolecularized longer than the time it took to get from the Command Center to anywhere else in Angel Grove. And he knew he'd also taken longer trips. Still, he, Adam, and Aisha stumbled slightly when they materialized on the surface of the moon.

"This is weird," Aisha stated. Every other time they'd journeyed off the surface of the Earth they'd landed on the planet during the day time, or at least when there was light to see by. Now, all around them was darkness and brilliant burning stars in the night sky. She gazed around her.

"You're telling me," Rocky laughed. Adam just nodded agreement with both of them. "Alright guys," Rocky added in. "Let's get to work. The faster we get out of here, the better."

"Right," Adam and Aisha responded.

"How about that rock over there?" Adam asked, pointing to a relatively large formation of stone jutting out from the surface of the moon. Rocky nodded, and walked over to it, Adam and Aisha behind him. Rocky pulled the small pouch from his belt, while Adam pulled out the pick axe. Together they began harvesting the dust while Aisha took on the job of look out. They'd been working for nearly ten minutes, scraping as much dust off as they could, and the bag was only about an quarter of the way full. "This is going to take forever," Adam put in as he and Rocky switched places.

"I know," Rocky replied. "But we've got to do this for them. Especially Tommy," he stated. "We need him back."

"I agree," Aisha replied. "I just want our team whole again."

"Speaking of Tommy," Adam asked, figuring they might as well talk while they worked. "What do you think has been going on between him, Kimberly, and Dr. Oliver?"

"It's weird right?" Aisha asked, keeping her eyes on their surroundings while the boys chipped away. "Kim won't say anything about it, but she's been avoiding them both as much as possible."

"Yeah," Rocky stated. "And Tommy's been giving Dr. Oliver some really nasty looks. I didn't think it was possible for a child's face to contort that way."

"He's probably pissed off that Dr. Oliver revealed he's not in contact with any of our future selves," Adam put in. "I'm a bit irritated by that too," he added almost as an afterthought.

"Why do you think that is?" Aisha asked. Rocky and Adam both paused to shrug their shoulders, before going back to work.

"Could have something to do with us all not being rangers anymore. It's not like it's the safest job in the world," Rocky said with a bit of humor in his voice. Aisha and Adam nodded agreement with his last statement. "So maybe he thought he was protecting us."

"Yeah right," Aisha snorted. "We showed him what we were capable of well before we became rangers, remember?"

"You've both got a point," Adam interjected. "Tommy's our leader. Even if he knows we're capable of handling the situation ourselves, he's not going to let civilians take the risks. It's possible he thought distancing himself from us would protect us. He's clearly not happy with that decision."

"You noticed that too?" Aisha asked him. Adam nodded. For the last few days it had become more and more obvious to them that Dr. Oliver was not quite as happy with the future he would be returning to. "Just wish he would let us fix it," Aisha added in.

"He might want to," Rocky stated, but then shook his head. "But he can't. It's not his own life he'd be changing. It'd be ours too. Remember, he did say he knew we were all happy. I don't think we've all lost contact with each other. Maybe just him."

"I can't see myself being happy without talking to ALL my friends," Aisha stressed.

"There's also the Dino Thunder Rangers," Adam reminded her. "They're definitely important to him," he added. "Like we are. He doesn't want the future changed to protect them."

"You think we're still important to him in ten years?" Rocky asked.

"Of course," Adam stated. "Contact or not, you can see it in his face. He's regretting the choices he made."

"Well, since we can't fix what happens between now and his present," Aisha stated, "can we at least promise each other that we'll fix his future? I mean, when Billy's device returns our memories, no matter where we are, or what we're doing, we'll drop everything and go to Reefside?"

"Agreed," Rocky stated, and Adam nodded his agreement as well. "No matter what. Now come on," he laughed, "these things aren't going to fill themselves."

* * *

Adam, Rocky, and Aisha had been gone for a while when Kimberly looked up and scanned the Command Center. She'd been sitting in the corner, working on homework, quietly listening to everything around her. Dr. Oliver, Billy, and Ethan were working on plans for a time travel device. She couldn't quite understand everything they were discussing, but it seemed like Ethan wanted to use parts of the clock once they'd finished using it to solve the current dilemma. Connor, Kira, and Trent had spent the time sitting in a circle talking in hushed voices about all manner of topics. They were jumping around so much that she couldn't follow their conversation. They touched on technology she didn't understand, school which she did, and a fear that in their absence Reefside may have been destroyed. Dr. Oliver had overheard that one, especially when Trent muttered something about that Haley person. He'd immediately calmed their fears, assuring them that when they did return, he'd make sure they returned to the point immediately after they had left, thereby erasing any damage that was done due to leaving their city and the earth unprotected. At some point, she thought she'd heard her own name pop up in their conversation, but when she'd turned to look at them, Connor was blushing and arguing with his teammates. She tried to put that instance out of her mind. The only other individual present was Tommy. He sat several yards away from her, reading through the notes Dr. Oliver had taken in school for him, a deep frown on his face.

Kimberly closed her text book and stood up, walking over to him, before sitting back down directly beside him. He glanced up at her for a moment, before turning his attention straight back to the notes, glaring at them. "That bad huh?" she asked him, a small kind smile on her face.

"They're perfect," Tommy replied, a bit of annoyance at the fact in his voice. Realizing Kim wasn't going to go away, he closed the notebook and looked at her. She sat, cross legged on the floor of the Command Center, her long brown hair pulled up and attached to the back of her head with a clip. A few wisps had escaped over the course of the day and hung loosely beside her face. She wore one of his favorite pink floral tops that extended to her thighs, and a pair of jean bottoms that ended at her knees. To him, she was beautiful and perfect. But at the moment, all he could think about is what she must think of him, a slightly chubby boy of eight, wearing a white t-shirt and black jeans.

"We need to talk," Kimberly told him simply, her eyes never leaving his. Tommy opened his mouth to protest and promise her that there was nothing to talk about, but she shook her head, cutting him off. "I know it was you who saw." Again, Tommy started to protest, but Kim wouldn't let him speak. "Who else would have slammed the door?" Defeated, Tommy nodded. "There's no excuse for it," Kimberly explained. It was her turn to look away. "I messed up. Big time."

"It's not like you kissed him," Tommy told her. He hadn't blamed her in the slightest. They were boyfriend and girlfriend. They were used to spending time together, with a little bit of physical contact between them. But at the point when she'd kissed Dr. Oliver, Tommy had already spent three days in the body of a boy who gaged at the idea of kissing a girl. He could certainly understand her confusion, especially since Dr. Oliver currently looked exactly like he should have.

"I didn't end it, and I should have," Kimberly contradicted him. "I shouldn't have let it happen in the first place, but he was hurting. I could see it in his face, in your face. In his eyes. For the first time, I recognized them."

"So you reacted the only way you knew to comfort him?" Tommy finished her thought for her. Kimberly nodded and looked back up at him. Tommy was looking over at Dr. Oliver, realizing for the first time how much pain the older version of himself was actually in. He'd told the past rangers that all their future selves were happy; Kira had even said that he himself was happy; but obviously there was more to it, and Kimberly had been the only one to see it.

"Forgive me?" Kimberly asked him. Tommy drew his attention back to her and gave her a smile, before pulling her into a slightly awkward hug.

"Forgiven and forgotten," he replied, letting her go and looking back over at Dr. Oliver.

"You're really upset with him, aren't you?" Kimberly asked. "Not just because of the kiss."

Tommy once again pulled his eyes away from his future self, letting them settle on his girlfriend. Apparently it didn't matter if he was eight, seventeen, or twenty-seven. She could read him like a book. He sighed and nodded. "How could he let them all go? How could he let you go?" he asked her.

"He didn't," Kimberly replied with a sigh. She didn't turn her head, but she dropped her gaze to her lap. "It's my fault."

"What do you mean?" Tommy asked her. Kimberly took a deep breath, and looked back up at him, pushing back her tears. She'd promised herself she wouldn't cry over it again until it actually happened.

"I'm going to be the one to end our relationship," she told him. Tommy looked at her, stunned. He hadn't even contemplated that possibility.

"Paris?" he asked her, fear written across his face. Kimberly shrugged and shook her head. She didn't know when exactly. All Dr. Oliver had told her was soon.

"Apparently, I hurt him, well you, so badly, it made him pull away from everyone else. I don't know when, how, or even why. Tommy, I love you so much."

"I know," he replied, brushing a tear off her face. The adult part of himself wanted to wrap her in his arms and kiss her tears away, but he knew that the awkwardness of the situation would make that a very bad idea. "I love you too," he stated, biting his lip in thought. "Maybe we can think of a way to fix it? You know, one that doesn't mess up everyone else's future."

"You think we could?" Kimberly asked. She used her hand to wipe the rest of the tears off her face.

Tommy just shrugged. "Nothing's impossible. But we do need to be careful. I don't want to ruin things for anyone else. Still, I don't like knowing that you and everyone else aren't part of my life."

"Agreed," Kimberly told him, letting a smile return to her face. "We can do it," she added.

Tommy nodded and sighed. "What time is it anyway? They've been gone a while," he glanced around the Command Center. Kimberly glanced down at her watch.

"Nearly six thirty," she told him. "They've been gone almost three hours."

"Zordon?" Tommy called, standing up and walking towards their mentor. "Do you think Adam, Aisha, and Rocky might be in trouble? Is there anyway of contacting them?"

 _ **No Tommy**_ , Zordon replied. _**Their mission brought them too close to Lord Zedd and Rita's palace. Any transmission we send them could alert our enemies to their presence. We must be patient. I'm sure Rocky and the others would have contacted us if something had gone awry.**_

"Affirmative," Billy told Tommy. He and the other five rangers in the room had heard Tommy's question to Zordon and come over to hear the answer. "They would have reached out for help."

Kimberly didn't look convinced. "I wish there was some way to have an idea of what's going on."

"Alpha," Billy asked the robot. "Can you scan for traces of energy? Maybe we can find out where they are at the very least."

"Right away Billy," Alpha told him. Billy put his hand on Kimberly's shoulder.

"Alpha will have the results in a minute," Dr. Oliver assured Kim and Tommy who looked the most worried. A paper print out began to emerge from a console where Alpha had gone to work. The robot took it and walked it over to Billy handing it to him. Billy read through it quickly, his face breaking out in a grin.

"The scan indicates three strong teleportation signatures leaving the moon's surface just over an hour ago," Billy informed them.

"They're on their way back," Kira stated, expressing the relief everyone felt. Almost as soon as she said it red, yellow, and black light streaks descended into the center of the Command Center and materialized into the three missing rangers.

"You're back!" Kimberly exclaimed, joy resonating in her voice. All three appeared to be whole. There was no visible damage to their suits. All three powered down immediately, as Kimberly ran to and threw her arms around Aisha's neck.

"Were you successful?" Billy asked them. Rocky smirked and handed him both the pouch and the extra container he'd sent them off with.

"Ye of little faith," he laughed as the four children came rushing towards Billy trying to get a good look at what the rangers had brought back.

"Everything go ok?" Tommy asked them, though his eyes were following the pouch of moon dust.

"Piece of cake," Aisha told him. "I doubt if Zedd and Rita even knew we were there."

"Is it fine enough Billy?" Adam asked, indicating the consistency of the dust. Billy nodded in response, setting the pouch and container down on a console. He bent down to pick up the clock before opening the back panel and placing the pouch inside.

"You guys did perfectly. There's plenty of dust. We shouldn't have any problem returning everyone to normal now."

"Alright!" Connor and Trent both shouted, giving high fives to one another. Kira's face broke into a wide smile, and Tommy and Dr. Oliver both wore matching grins.

"Great," Kimberly said. "Let's get you all back to normal."

"Affirmative," Billy added in. "Just line up over there," he stated, indicating the space in front of the viewing globe. Connor stood at one end, with Trent between him and Kira. Dr. Oliver was beside his team, and the line finished with Tommy. Rocky, Adam, and Aisha all stood to Billy's left, just out of range of the clock, while Kimberly and Ethan stood on his right, partly between Billy and the regressed rangers. "Ready?"

"Do it," Kira laughed. Billy nodded and once again set the dial on the clock. He aimed the device at the dino thunder team and Tommy and pressed the button to activate it. Just as it had done the day before, light blazed out of the clock, engulfing the rangers in front of it as the Command Center's alarms blared. Billy, who was ready for the kick back this time, held the clock with two hands and was able to steady himself to prevent being knocked backwards.

The light shrunk in on itself, revealing four teenage rangers and one adult ranger, all who were examining their own bodies, still slightly stunned.

"Tommy!" Kimberly shouted, sprinting towards him. He caught her waist between his hands and lifted her, spinning her in a circle the moment she reached him. When he set her down, she gripped him tightly and buried her face in his shoulder.

"I'm me again!" Trent laughed, grabbing hold of Kira and hugging her tightly. She returned his hug with equal strength.

Dr. Oliver looked over his team, smiling, as Ethan came forward and grasped his hand in a handshake hug combination. "Welcome back," Ethan told him.

"Good to be back," he replied.

"To be completely clear," Connor stated, looking up from his hands. "Girls most certainly do not have cooties," he laughed, as he reached out to the side, grabbed hold of Aisha's hand and dragged her towards him. Before anyone could react, Connor dipped her, and planted a kiss on her lips.

Simultaneously, a few things occurred. Kimberly and Tommy both smiled at the red and yellow rangers, thinking the entire event was sweet. Billy and Ethan wore stunned expressions, while Kira and Trent looked worried. Dr. Oliver's face went wide with surprise, having absolutely no idea what had transpired at the dance the night Kimberly had been kidnapped. Although, based on the anger reflected in Rocky's eyes, he had a pretty good idea about why Rocky had lost control as a child and tried to beat the shit out of the other red ranger. It appeared that only two things were currently stopping him from trying again, and those were the fact that as a teenager he was expected to have a better grip on his emotions, and that Adam had his hand gripping his best friend's shoulder. At a glance, it seemed like Adam was just touching his friend, but if Dr. Oliver looked carefully, he could see that Adam's muscles were flexed, indicating that he was applying quite a bit of pressure to hold Rocky in place. Rocky's reaction didn't surprise Dr. Oliver in the least, but what did was that Aisha had not fought Connor off, and instead and returned his kiss with one of her own when he stood her up again. Both teens were grinning at each other, oblivious to what was going on around them.

"Um, you two do realize you're not from the same time, right?" Dr. Oliver asked the two of them, bringing them both back to the present. Connor and Aisha sprung apart, blushing slightly.

"It's not serious," Aisha laughed. "He's a good kisser."

Adam flexed his muscle again, preventing Rocky for moving towards Connor. He knew his best friend had had feelings for Aisha for a while, he was just, in Adam's opinion, too dumb to tell her so. It wasn't Connor's fault that Aisha was returning his affections. In fact, if anyone was to blame, it was Rocky for not asking her out. And attacking Connor again would not be the way to win any brownie points with Aisha when he did get the up the courage to tell her how he felt.

"Thanks," Connor laughed. "We know, Dr. O," he added in. "Just having some fun right now."

"Please keep said fun, PG, alright?" he instructed Connor, who nodded. Dr. Oliver looked from Connor to Aisha to Rocky and then sighed. He was really beginning to hate teenagers. He wanted to say something about what he knew right then and there, but Rocky hadn't expressed his feelings for the yellow ranger yet, and that was just not something he felt he had the right to do. However, he'd definitely be having a talk with Connor back at the cabin.

"What do you all say we do dinner out to celebrate?" Tommy interrupted. Kimberly was still nestled in his arms, his chin resting comfortably on top of her head. Going out in public would have the added advantage of making Dr. Oliver either leave, or become invisible for the remainder of the evening. Granted, he wasn't as angry with his older self as he had been a few hours before, now knowing a bit more of what had been going on, thanks to Kim. Still, he didn't exactly like the man he would become.

"Sounds good to me," Adam stated, glad for a change of topic. He still hadn't released Rocky. "How's food sound Rocky?" he asked his friend, pointedly. Rocky's body which had tensed up relaxed when Adam addressed him. He looked back at his friend, and sighed, clearly reading Adam's expression. He just nodded.

"I'm caught up enough on homework. How about Chinese? We haven't had that in a while."

"Sounds good to us," Ethan stated, his teammates nodding.

 _ **You've done well Rangers. Go and celebrate**_ Zordon told them with a smile. All eleven nodded and teleported out.

* * *

The next morning Connor, Kira, and Trent sat at the dining room table eating pancakes that Kira had cooked simply because she was excited that she could once again reach the top of the stove with ease. The night before she'd met up with Dr. Oliver and made him swear not to every mention several simply embarrassing details of their time regressed. It hadn't taken much to get him to agree.

"Couldn't he have at least let us sleep in?" Connor grumbled, adding a massive amount of syrup to his stack of pancakes. It was barely seven o'clock. "It's not like we've got anything to do today," he added in. Dr. Oliver had informed them the night before that he and Ethan were going to be heading to the Command Center to begin work on the time travel device. The hope was to use parts of the clock that had caused the regression to open a time portal to the future. They were going to pair it with the memory device so that they functioned simultaneously.

"You weren't complaining when you woke me up with the sun for the last four days," Trent retorted.

"I was eight! Everyone knows teenagers need more sleep," Connor retorted. Trent smirked at him, and Kira rolled her eyes, despite the fact that she agreed. At present, it was just the three of them, something they'd gotten used to for varying reasons. Dr. Oliver was in his room getting ready, while Ethan was in the shower.

"You'd sleep all day if we let you," Kira told him.

"Speaking of all day," Trent stated. "What do you think we're doing today? I hope it's not katas again."

"Nope," Dr. Oliver told him, stepping out into the living room. His hair was spiked again, glasses on, and he was dressed in solid black. And he was grinning.

"Glad to be back Dr. O?" Kira laughed at him. Dr. Oliver nodded once, not denying it.

"So what _is_ the plan for the day?" Trent asked him.

"Library," he stated, grinning at the chorus response of "Aww man" that came from the three newly returned teenagers. "Don't 'Aww man' me," he told them. "You four haven't been to school in two weeks."

"It's not like we'll miss anything," Connor informed him. "You said you'd set the clock for us to return the same day we left."

"You could still use some study time," Dr. Oliver told him. "Your grades could use a boost."

"But we didn't bring any of our homework," Kira argued. Dr. Oliver just raised her eyebrow at her. "Or we could just study for science class."

"Good idea," he told her with a smirk. "Connor," he stated, turning to the red clad teenager. "I need to talk to you for a second."

"Um… what'd I do?" Connor asked. "Dude, if it's about the tomato sauce, it was all Tommy's idea."

"Wait! Tomato sauce? What?" Dr. Oliver asked, trying to understand what Connor was saying. "You know what? I don't need to know. Just come with me," he stated, leading Connor into his room and shutting the door.

"What do you suppose that's about, if not the tomato sauce?" Trent whispered to Kira who shrugged in response, clearly as confused as he was. The two sat in silence for a moment. "So, um, Saturday morning," Trent suddenly started stammering. Kira looked up at him, pausing mid bite. "Did you mean it when you called me your boyfriend?"

Kira hesitated, putting her fork back down, and blushing a slight shade of pink. Of course he would have remembered that. "Uh, yeah," she stated, not sure how to answer him. "But if you prefer that we don't put labels-"

Trent cut her off. "No! I liked it. I'd been hoping you'd meant it," he told her with a smile, reaching over and covering her hand with his own. "I just didn't want to ask, while you know, we were little."

"You mean when you and Connor thought girls had cooties?"

"Hey," he laughed, "I never said that. It was all Connor."

"You were thinking it," she accused him, a playful smile on her face. Trent didn't argue. Instead he laughed and nodded. "I did mean it. I've thought about it for a while. Just wasn't sure you felt the same."

"I'm glad you told me," Trent told her, leaning in and kissing her lightly on the lips. It was a peck. Nothing like the kiss Connor had given Aisha the night before.

"Me too," she laughed, as the door to Dr. Oliver's room opened and Connor returned, looking very pale.

"What's up?" Trent asked him. Dr. Oliver still hadn't emerged, even as Connor sank back into his chair at the dining room table.

"I am going to die when we get home," Connor stated, his eyes full of terror. He didn't look at either of his teammates as he shoveled a few bites of his pancakes into his mouth, looking for all the world like he was consuming his last meal.


	22. Chapter 22

So, plot bunny took over this morning, and I ended up finishing chapter 23, writing the entire of chapter 24 and half of chapter 25. Figured that entitled you all to this one. It's not my favorite and acts very much as a bridge between the previous chaos and the chaos that will begin in chapter 23. However, it does explain a bit more about how Dr. Oliver ended up loosing contact with his friends by the time he reaches 2004. To me, it explains why we never got to see any of them during DT.

Hope you all enjoy. If you like, send a review - Fateless

* * *

"How's the design for the time travel device coming Ethan?" Dr. Oliver asked from the opposite side of the Command Center. Following breakfast that morning, he and Ethan had left Connor, Trent, and Kira with directions to the library, before Billy came to escort them to the Command Center. Now that he was no longer inhabiting the body of a teenager, Dr. Oliver seemed a great deal more relaxed than he had been about this situation of being stuck in the past, than he had been before the whole regression debacle.

"Not bad," Ethan replied. "Billy's notes on how the clock worked are helping a lot. I can tell what parts we'll need to use and what we won't. And I think we'll be able to tell it exactly when we want to return, give or take a few hours."

"Good," Dr. Oliver replied simply, turning away from the viewing globe he'd been peering into waiting on his students to show up at the library as he expected. They were instructed not to leave until at least three that afternoon, and were given the choice of joining the other rangers or going back to the cabin at that point. Satisfied when he saw them arrive, he walked back over to Ethan and the schematics he was working on. "So, is the plan a combined device, or separate?"

"We're not perfectly sure yet," Ethan replied. "But they will have to work simultaneously. We have to be present in order to get the memory device to function as we're the source of the memories that will be locked away. So, we can't use the time device first."

"But if we use the memory device first, without the time device, then they'll see us, and those memories won't get erased," Dr. Oliver finished, nodding as he understood Ethan's train of thought. "Billy's idea?"

"Yep," Ethan told him. "I take it he's behind a lot of our ranger tech?" Ethan asked him, raising an eyebrow. Dr. Oliver nodded.

"I can hold my own a bit, and Haley is our primary tech, but Billy understands the morphing grid better. He's consulted on a lot of our technology," Dr. Oliver told him, shifting through some of the plans he, Ethan, and Billy had worked on while Adam, Rocky, and Aisha were on the moon.

"But you said you weren't in contact with any of the others?"

"Billy and I only speak every few months. I haven't seen him physically since he left," Dr. Oliver explained. "And they're already upset by the fact that I've lost contact. I didn't want to hurt them further by saying, I knew where Billy was, but not the rest of them."

 _ **Wise decision, Dr. Oliver. I fear the rangers are already reluctant to let you seal away their memories. As much as I know they will do the right thing, I fear jealousy may have clouded their judgement.**_

Dr. Oliver looked up and nodded to Zordon. "I'm worried about Kim and Tommy the most Zordon."

 _ **I know.**_ His response was so simple and to the point that it actually increased Dr. Oliver's worry, rather than ebbing it. If Zordon was worried about them as well, he would need to keep an extra watch on them, specifically his younger self.

"What about adding a knock out gas?" Ethan suddenly asked. Dr. Oliver turned to look at him, frowning in confusion.

"Who exactly do you want to knock out?" he asked his student. Ethan laughed and shook his head.

"I meant with the memory device. If one of the chemicals released when we use it is a knock out gas, we can have Alpha activate the time device separately. We'd be gone before they wake up. And, it'd be a lot less complicating than trying to make sure both devices function correctly at the same time."

"That might definitely be an idea worth pursing," Dr. Oliver nodded. "Let's see if there's a way to incorporate it into the memory lock before Billy gets out of school."

* * *

"I think I'm beginning to miss being a kid," Connor stated, laying his head down on the table in front of him. He sat on one side of a table in the reference area of the Angel Grove public library while Kira and Trent sat across from him. The table was covered in textbooks, all opened to various pages with information about their current topic in Dr. Oliver's class. Some of the information was a little out dated, but not much. Luckily physical science seemed to be pretty standard.

Both of his teammates looked up from the books they were reading to stare at him as if he'd suddenly grown to 50 feet tall. "You want to run that by me again?" Trent asked him.

"Dr. O didn't make us do work when we were little," Connor whined, not looking up.

"You were barely four feet tall and thought girls had cooties," Kira reminded him. Connor sat up and glared at her. "Speaking of cooties," she continued, completely disregarding his glare. "What's going on with you and Aisha?"

"Nothing," Connor choked out. "Nothing I swear!" He suddenly started glancing around nervously like a monster was going to show up at any moment and beat the shit out of him. "I swear I'm never going to touch her again," he stated.

"What did Dr. O do to you this morning?" Trent asked him, laughing at his leader's reaction. Connor just sighed and shook his head.

"Really," Connor told them. "It's not something I want to talk about."

"That much trouble?" Kira asked him.

"Part of the reason I don't want to spend the day at the library. I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to be alive. I'd like to enjoy what little time I have left," he replied, stretching his arms up over his head.

"You really think Dr. O threated to kill him for going near Aisha, or did that clock mess with his brain?" Trent whispered in Kira's ear. She smirked, but shrugged her shoulders. When they both looked back at him, Connor was no longer in his seat, but had stood up and wondered over to a very unusual looking machine. It resembled a computer monitor in some ways, but its screen allowed the viewer to look into it. It was also much larger that the monitors they were used to using, as well as the ones at Cyberspace. "What are you doing?" Kira asked Connor.

"Trying to figure out what this thing is," Connor told her. "Any idea?" he asked, looking back over his shoulder at his friends. Kira and Trent both stood up, and walked over to him, examining the machine.

"It's a microfiche," Trent told him, gazing inside the box at the second screen within. Connor was now looking at him confused. "It's for storing and viewing a lot of documents in a really small space. Remember, the internet isn't very big yet."

"Ah," Connor said, still not fully comprehending.

"How did you make it to high school?" Trent asked him, smirking. Connor just grinned in response.

"My unmatched charm and charisma," he told him. "So what kind of documents do you think it holds?"

"Probably old newspaper articles and the like," Trent said, turning to the catalogue beside him, opening a draw and flipping through it. Kira joined him, opening another of the catalogue's draws.

"Hey look," Kira stated. "This one's labeled 'Power Rangers'. Want to look?" she asked, holding up a roll of microfilm, a grin on her face.

"How old is it?" Trent asked, pushing his draw shut.

"Ninety three, ninety four," Kira replied with a shrug of her shoulders. She handed Trent the film. He took it straight to the microfiche machine that had gotten Connor's attention and pulled out the chair in front of it. Kira and Connor raced back to their tables and grabbed two chairs which they then pulled up on either side of Trent. By the time they'd returned, Trent had fed the film into the machine and turned it on.

"Angel Grove's Guardian Angels," Trent read the title of the article out loud. Kira snorted a laugh.

"Angels?" she laughed, "you're kidding me right?" Connor and Trent shrugged. "Oh man, we've got to read some of these," she added. Connor and Trent nodded agreement, as Trent began to read the article out loud.

* * *

"Guess who?" Tommy said, coming up behind Kimberly at her locker after a morning of classes. He covered both her eyes with his hands, although speaking out loud didn't exactly contribute to his goal of surprising her. Aisha and Adam were already there with her, and Billy and Rocky were following a few steps behind Tommy.

"Um…," she laughed. "Let me think. Is it Goldar?" she giggled, pulling his hands off her face, and turning to face him. She stood up on her tippy toes to plant a slight kiss on his lips.

"Hey Beautiful," he replied, as she returned to her flat feet, smiling brightly.

"Hey Handsome," she stated, turning back to finish at her lockers.

"Someone's sure in a good mood," Aisha told them, indicating their leader.

"What can I say? It's nice to be more than four feet tall," he replied, opening his own locker. His teammates and friends just laughed. "But there's some weird things going on."

"Like what?" Kim asked him, frowning. Adam and Billy scanned the hallways, unsure where Tommy was going with his line of thinking. Had they missed something?

"Nothing like that," Tommy assured them, and the black and blue rangers instantly calmed down. "Here at school though. Everyone's been mumbling behind my back, three girls asked me out this morning, Bulk and Skull flinch every time I walk by, and Ms. Appleby asked what happened to my confidence after my presentation this morning. I don't get it." The four of the other five broke into hysterics, only adding more to Tommy's confusion. "What's so funny?" Kimberly hit Billy with the back of her hand, as he was nearest to her. She bit her lip giving Tommy a helpless look.

"Well," Billy told him. "We can explain most of that."

"Dr. Oliver avoided Kim all day yesterday, so basically the whole school thinks you're fighting," Aisha told him. Tommy blinked a couple of times, digesting that information. He wasn't sure if he should be upset or pleased about that bit of news.

"Who asked you out?" Kim asked him sweetly.

"Oh no," he told her, with a grin. "You don't need to know that. We'll just spend the rest of the day setting the record straight," he added with a laugh, as Kim pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. "So that explains the mumbling and the girls. What about Ms. Appleby?"

"Oh Bro," Rocky laughed as the group started making their way to the cafeteria. "That was awesome! Dr. Oliver delivered your report yesterday like a teacher giving a lecture."

Tommy groaned, running a hand over the back of his head. "Aww man," he muttered. "So now she expects me to be comfortable speaking in front of the class."

"I tried to remind him to act like a student," Billy laughed. Tommy rolled his eyes.

"Bulk and Skull?" he asked.

"Now that is a mystery," Adam replied. Everyone else shrugged as well.

"That's nothing new," Tommy said, holding the door to the cafeteria open for each of his friends after shrugging his shoulders. If he really wanted to know, he supposed he could always ask Dr. Oliver. Granted, it didn't matter. It was kind of nice not having to deal with the two clowns for a day. He was sure they'd be back to normal soon as their attention spans weren't that long.

Lunch was uneventful, which was absolutely pure bliss for Tommy. He was full grown, surrounded by friends, his girlfriend beside him, making jokes, and aliens weren't attacking. Aside from knowing there were five misplaced time travelers somewhere in Angel Grove at the moment, there was absolutely nothing that could spoil the day.

"Hey Kim, hold up," he told her, as they left the cafeteria together with their friends. Kimberly slowed her pace, letting their friends leave ahead of them.

"What's up?"

"I thought a bit more about what we talked about yesterday," he told her. "I might have an idea, if you're still in."

"Of course I'm still in," Kim told him, letting a sad smile crawl on her lips. "I don't want this to be it for us." Tommy nodded. "You think there's a way to keep our memories?"

"No," Tommy told her simply, a bit of sadness and anger creeping into his voice. "But maybe there's a way to communicate with our future selves," he stated, pausing to see how she'd react.

"I'm listening," she said as they reached their classroom and went inside to take their seats.

"Well, clearly, it doesn't matter if we can communicate with me or not. Dr. Oliver's not going to listen," Tommy stated. "But what about you? Do you think if we could get a message to your future self, we could fix it?"

"I don't know. Dr. Oliver said I'm the one who ends our relationship," Kimberly replied, biting her lip. "I doubt I'd be really receptive to not doing it; I don't know. I can't even imagine doing it in the first place."

"I know," Tommy told her. "And I'm not suggesting we try to stop it. We'd have to know what it was to do that, and Dr. Oliver's not speaking. I don't think Connor and the others know anything about it."

"That doesn't surprise me," Kim cut in. Tommy nodded. He completely understood his older self's reluctance to letting the teenagers into some of the private aspects of his life. Dr. Oliver probably wasn't even happy that they were finding out firsthand what he was like as a teenager in love, let alone that he'd been dumped.

"But what if we could send her a message telling her where to find me? Encourage her to fix things, you know?"

"I guess, but all we know is he's currently in Reefside. How do we know when he gets there? And how would we even get me this message?" Kim asked him as their teacher came into the classroom.

"I've got an idea," Tommy whispered. "Just needed to know if you were on board." Kim nodded in response as the class started.

* * *

"Hey guys," Kira called, from her seat at a table in the youth center. Trent sat beside her and the two were sharing a smoothie. "How was school?"

"Normal," Tommy replied, as he, Rocky, Adam and Kimberly joined them, book bags in hand. Aisha broke away from their group when they entered and went to the counter to place their usual order of after school beverages and snacks. "Which is a wonderful change of pace."

"What'd you do all day?" Rocky asked them.

"Dr. O made us go to the library," Trent told them. Everyone could hear the disappointment in his voice. Kira rolled her eyes.

"He figured we'd be out of school for too long. I have a feeling if we're here much longer, he's going to give us a pop quiz," Kira moaned.

"Rough," Kimberly laughed.

"So you spent the day studying?" Adam asked them, as Aisha joined the group at the table, pulling out a chair between Kira and Rocky.

"Sorta," Kira replied with a slight mischievous grin. "We found some old newspaper articles that were way more interesting than physical science."

"Old to us, she means," Trent corrected her. Tommy and the others frowned.

"Oh yeah, to you they're maybe slightly older than a year." Kira stated.

"Oh," Kimberly groaned. "You did not read that stuff!" Kira and Trent nodded, laughing. Kira bent down to take a sip of the smoothie.

"What stuff?" Rocky asked.

"They went through newspaper articles about the power rangers," Tommy explained, with a slightly pained expression. "You're planning to use this against me aren't you?"

"Not you per say," Trent laughed. "But having some stories to hold over Dr. O's head wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing," he added. Kira nodded.

"Did the whole city really get sent to another dimension?" Kira asked. Kim and Tommy both nodded, while the other three shrugged their shoulders. "That sucks," Kira added in.

"You're telling me," Tommy replied, shuddering at the memory.

"You were there?" Trent asked, confusion showing on his face. The photograph of the day only showed five rangers in morph. Neither the green nor white ranger was present.

"Not as one of the rangers," he replied. "But I was in the crowd," he added, and gave Kim a wink. Ernie walked over at that point and handed served the Angel Grove teens their smoothies. There was a chorus of Thanks Ernie from all around the table.

"So, did Billy take off right after school?" Trent asked as soon as Ernie had left them.

Adam nodded in response. "He said Ethan and Dr. Oliver had been working all day, he owed them a little help," he explained.

"Dr. O's more determined than ever to get us back home, now that we're all relatively back to normal," Kira replied with a nod. "Can't say I blame him. I'm worried about Reefside."

"They've never been unprotected from Mesagog for so long," Trent added in. The other rangers nodded their understanding. They all knew the plan was to return the dino thunder team to a time as close to their leaving point as possible, and that as long as they were successful, the people of Reefside would never know that they hadn't had their power rangers to protect them. However, that didn't lessen the guilt that each of the dino thunder rangers felt when they imagined exactly what Mesagog was doing in the future during their absence.

"If anyone can get you home," Tommy assured him. "It's Billy." Kira and Trent both nodded.

"Speaking of missing individuals," Aisha stated, "where's Connor?"

"Does it matter?" Rocky asked her coldly. Aisha glared at him, while Adam just sighed. Everyone else looked slightly confused at the exchange. Rocky rolled his eyes and took a sip from his smoothie, breaking his gaze and looking away from Aisha, who turned back to Kira and Trent, apparently expecting more of an answer from one of them.

"Oh," Kira replied, blinking when she realized Aisha was waiting. "He said he had a headache. Dr. O gave us the afternoon to do what we wanted."

"He said something about taking a nap," Trent finished. "I think he went back to the cabin."

"Too bad," Rocky murmured, once again getting a strange look from Aisha, Kim and Tommy. "I'm going to go work out. Adam?"

"Sure," Adam replied, taking another sip of his smoothie. "I need to work on some moves for the class we're teaching tomorrow. Tommy want to help?"

"Absolutely," Tommy added in. He looked back at the three girls and Trent still sitting at the table, his eyes landing on Trent. "Want to make it an even four?"

Trent nodded and kissed Kira lightly, before following the other three teenage boys down to the mats and gym equipment.

"I don't know what's gotten into him," Aisha stated, looking at Kim with concern on her face. "You don't think he's under one of Zedd and Rita's spells, do you?" she asked her friend, her voice barely above a whisper. Kimberly shrugged.

"I wouldn't worry about it. Connor rubs a lot of people the wrong way," Kira replied.

"I don't know. I think we should keep an eye on him," Aisha stated, looking over to where the four guys were. Adam was talking to Rocky, who was blushing a bit and nodding, while Tommy showed Trent a few moves.

"You guys ever spar with them?" Kira asked Aisha and Kimberly.

"I stick to gymnastics," Kimberly replied, shaking her head no. "Billy trains with them occasionally," she added in as an afterthought. "He started working with Jason right after we got our powers. Adam and Tommy work with him the most now." Kira nodded her understanding.

"I do from time to time," Aisha told her. "Actually, Rocky, Adam, and I were on the team from Stone Canyon High in the team ninja competition. That's how we met the others."

"I remember that," Kimberly told her. "Aisha was awesome! How about you? Do you train with the guys on your team?"

"Dr. O makes us," Kira laughed. "It's not too bad actually. I probably give him too much of a hard time about it, but he was making us spend the day practicing when we got plucked up and dropped here. And it was a weekend too."

"Unfair. He knows good and well that you take what breaks you can get with our job," Kimberly laughed.

"Maybe this little trip of yours will remind him of that," Aisha added, with a grin.

Kira smiled back and shrugged. "Not sure I want it to change. After all, without the training I doubt we'd have even been able to put a scratch in a tyrranodrone, let alone prevent Mesagog from reverting the world back to the Stone Age."

"Guess you're right," Kim replied. "But hey, you do still need a break every now and again. How about hitting the mall with us after school tomorrow?"

"That is if you're not on your way back home," Aisha added.

"Sounds good," Kira replied, leaning back in her chair to watch Trent sparing with Tommy, Rocky, and Adam.

* * *

Dr. Oliver materialized with the help of Zordon on the lawn in front of the cabin. Ethan had gone with Billy to meet up with the rest of the teenagers at the youth center for the afternoon. All he wanted was a quiet evening alone, so he was happy to let Ethan go.

He let himself into the cabin, planning to make a hot cup of coffee and relax. He frowned, however, when he noticed the cabin was not vacant. Connor was sprawled out on the sofa, snoring slightly.

"Connor!" he stated, loudly enough to wake the boy up. Connor jumped, and sat straight up.

"What was the question?" the teen mumbled, rubbing his face with both hands. It took him a moment to register that he had not fallen asleep in class, but was on the sofa in the cabin that was his teams' home while trapped in the past. He realized he wasn't alone and that Dr. Oliver was smirking at him.

"What are you doing here?" Dr. Oliver asked him.

"Didn't feel like going out," Connor said, simply. Dr. Oliver gave him a look that said he didn't believe him, but he let it go.

"Where are Trent and Kira?"

"Youth center, I think," Connor replied. "They promised they'd be back no later than eight." Dr. Oliver nodded, heading towards his room. "You want me to disappear?"

"No," Dr. Oliver replied. "I'm going to lay down a bit. Just don't make too much noise."

"Got it," Connor replied, laying back down on the couch and yawning. He picked up one of the magazines he'd been flipping through before he'd dozed off.

In his room, Dr. Oliver shut the door behind him. He sat down on his bed, facing his reflection in the mirror and sighed. He was exhausted. For almost a full two weeks, he'd been trapped in the past, with four teenagers whom he was responsible for as the only one who'd ever really functioned independently in the 90s. On top of that, it wasn't as if he'd been sent back to Reefside in the 90s. No, the powers that be decided he needed to be plopped down, smack in the middle of Angel Grove, so that everywhere he turned was someone who knew him. He was surrounded by reminders of his past. And even worst, he was being reminded of who he had been.

Despite all the chaos, Dr. Oliver had had nearly fourteen days to watch himself. To remember the Tommy who had hope and faith that everything would work out. The Tommy who smiled and laughed. The Tommy who didn't let anyone give up. The Tommy who was surrounded by the friends that he cherished and cared about. The Tommy who was in love. Dr. Oliver had forgotten a lot about that Tommy. He'd done that on purpose. It was easier forgetting about it, than living with the memories.

After he'd lost Kim, he still had his life as a ranger. That was enough to keep his mind busy. Sure, most of his oldest friends had left by then too. He still spoke to them, but it wasn't easy staying in touch. Being a ranger surrounded by civilians was too dangerous. He'd seen that when Kim and Jason were kidnapped and used against him. It was a few days after that when he'd made up his mind. It was at that point that he'd slowly started withdrawing from them. As long as he was a ranger, and they weren't, it was too dangerous. They would be at risk. After his ranger days, just as he'd gone to college, it just seemed easier to let the rest go too. Move on, start a new life.

It hadn't been remotely easy to do. It had started slowly. Not returning a missed phone call. Days between emails. The voice mails and messages he received became less frequent, until eventually they stopped all together. He'd been miserable during that time. Depressed beyond belief. He drank a lot to ease the pain. He knew he was causing it himself, but he argued that the pain of losing their friendship would be far less painful than if he ever found out they lost their lives because of him. Ranger or not, he knew monsters and aliens followed him wherever he went, and they always would.

It was during one of his drinking binges toward the end of his undergraduate career that he'd met Haley. He'd gotten a voicemail from Rocky, for the first time in almost a year. He'd wanted to return the call so badly and end the forced exile he'd sentenced himself to. So, to stop himself, he'd gone to the bar to have a few drinks. A few had turned into a few too many, and he'd drunkenly walked himself back to the college dorms after the bar tender cut him off and took his keys. He'd managed to get back, stumbling over his own feet, but when he reached the bottom of the stairs, he realized he couldn't quite command his legs to be coordinated enough to climb them to his fifth floor dorm.

Haley had been walking back to her own dorm after spending the evening at the library only to discover him slumped against the wall at the bottom of the stairs, at about two in the morning. He'd been muttering things about teleporting and zords. She'd recognized him from one of her classes, and persuaded him back to his feet. Haley's room was on the first floor, so rather than trying to get the muscular college senior up to his, she'd just brought him into hers. She felt bad for him.

He didn't remember too much of what had happened that night, but he did know that he was a very talkative drunk, which considering how many secrets he had, wasn't a great thing. That night, he'd spilled everything to a girl who was nearly a perfect stranger to him. Everything. From his earliest days as the evil green ranger to Zordon's sacrifice and the reveal of the Space Rangers. At first Haley had thought he'd been making the entire thing up, but the longer he'd talked, the more sure she'd become that he was telling the truth. He'd cried a lot while he talked. The entire time, Haley just listened, until he'd finally exhausted himself, physically and emotionally, and passed out on her floor. Haley had placed a pillow under his head and a blanket over herself. She'd barely slept that night, thinking over everything he'd told her.

The next morning, Dr. Oliver, still Tommy at the time, had woken up, completely embarrassed. He had enough fragmented memories of the evening to know that he had seriously broken one of the cardinal rules about being a ranger. He'd revealed his identity, and those of all of his friends in the process. He'd tried to pass it off as drunken storytelling, but Haley wasn't buying it. Instead, she made him breakfast, and changed the topic. He'd realized then that she wasn't going to say a word. They'd become best friends that day. Haley knowing his past was a way for him to have a connection to it, without reconnecting with his friends. Instead of drinking whenever he missed them, he switched to talking with her. He barely touched alcohol anymore, and he never got that drunk again.

At the current moment, Dr. Oliver wanted nothing more than to have Haley there to talk to. She could make sense of this. She could help him make sense of his feelings. She'd never told him that cutting his friends out was a good thing. But she'd also never pushed him to reconnecting. She always let him make up his own mind in those instances. But she had an uncanny ability of helping him figure out what his mind was. And right now, he was completely confused.

Not about his friends. If there was one thing this trip had done, it was teach him that removing them from his life was a big mistake. He was going to at least try to fix that, if they'd have him, when he did finally get back. But then there was Kim. And there in lay his confusion. He'd thought he hated her. Thought he could never forgive her. But then why on earth had he felt the need to kiss her? Sure, he could blame the teenage hormones for acting on his feelings, but they'd been his feelings. His thoughts. He had wanted to kiss her again.

Angry at himself and at the fact that Haley was the only one missing from his team, Dr. Oliver sighed and flung himself backwards on his bed, shutting his eyes, and willing himself to turn off his brain and fall asleep.


	23. Chapter 23

Kira slipped out of the cabin, dressed in the outfit she'd been wearing when she arrived in Angel Grove two weeks earlier, and carrying a light book bag. It was barely six in the morning. Ethan was sitting at the dining room table, sleepily eating a bowl of cereal. Connor and Trent were both sound asleep – Connor up in the loft, and Trent on the couch. She found Dr. Oliver sitting on the porch, a cup of coffee clasped in his hands.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked him, securing her hair in a high pony tail on her head. He cast a look over her shoulder at him.

"Nothing," he replied, with a slight smile. "And everything." Kira smiled back and touched his shoulder as she climbed down the steps from the cabin. She turned, walking backwards a bit away from him.

"You sure you won't change your mind?"

"No," he told her with a laugh. "You all get the day off."

"All of us?" she asked him, raising her eyebrow.

"I offered it to Ethan. He declined."

"He wants to get us home," Kira replied. "Almost as much as you do, I think." Dr. Oliver nodded in response. He held the mug between both of his hands, staring down into the liquid. "Two weeks is a long time away."

"I know," he replied simply. He looked up. "We finished the design yesterday. Today we start the build. We'll be home soon, if it works."

"It'll work," Kira assured him. "Are you ready for the consequences?" she asked him. Dr. Oliver took a deep breath. He never talked like this with the boys, but Kira reminded him a lot of Kim in some ways. And without Haley, her presence gave him someone to try and talk his feelings out with.

"No," he told her simply, his smile turning a little sad. "Don't have a choice though."

"You think they'll come find us?" she asked him. Dr. Oliver nodded.

"If the device works and if they remember, they'll be there."

"All of them?" she asked him. Dr. Oliver shrugged.

"Why are you out of bed on a day off anyway?" he asked her, changing the subject. Kira smirked.

"I'm going to go for a run. Maybe do my own work out at the youth center," she replied. "I need a break from the guys," she added in. Dr. Oliver nodded his understanding. Kim had always had Trini or Aisha. Kat had Aisha and Tanya. There was always another girl around when his teammates needed a break from the boys. Kira didn't have that luxury, and she'd been living with the boys for the last two weeks, circumstances forcing them together constantly. "Aisha and Kim invited me to go shopping after they get out of school."

"Have fun," he told her, standing up and walking towards the cabin. "And be careful?"

"I will," Kira replied, as she set her pace to a jog, disappearing along the path that would lead her through the woods and to the park. The trip took her just under an hour, and she stepped out of the tree cover into the sun lit park. She barely stopped her jog, joining other morning joggers and walkers out on the parks paved trails. Her path took her to the top of a hill, where she stopped to stretch her muscles, basking in the warmth of the sun. She gazed around, examining her surroundings, taking everything in. It was then then she spotted a familiar face moving through several unfamiliar katas. Despite his practice, he wasn't dressed for it, instead wearing jeans and a plaid sleeveless hoodie. His book bag lay on the ground near him. No one was staring at him, as if the sight of the youth practicing martial arts in the park was a daily occurrence. After the last two weeks, she was beginning to realize that here, it was.

Smiling, she started walking down the hill towards him, her feet leaving the path she'd been on to trek across the grass. "Hey Adam!" she called, when she was within hearing range, raising her hand in a wave when he looked up toward her voice.

"Hey Kira," he called back. "Where are the guys?"

"Dr. O gave us the day off," she laughed, rolling her eyes a little. She knew she'd definitely been spending too much time with the boys of her team if the other rangers were finding it hard to understand she could be on her own. "Connor and Trent chose to sleep in. Ethan went with him to the Command Center."

"The device, right. How's that going?"

"From what I gather, ok. They're getting a bit confident we'll be going home soon."

"That's good. You guys must be happy," he told her. Kira nodded.

"Kinda. We're going to miss you guys," she stated.

"We promised, as soon as we remember, we'll come find you."

"But it'll be different. You'll all be Dr. O's age," she replied, with a shrug.

"We'll still be your friends," he assured her. "And if it helps, I know Aisha and Kim will still invite you to hang out."

"That obvious, huh?" she laughed. Adam smiled and nodded. "You observe a lot, don't you?"

"One of my specialties," he told her, widening his grin. "So, why didn't you sleep in?"

"Wanted to get in a run. I haven't had the chance to exercise my way in two weeks. What about you? You're spending your before school time in the park?"

"Tommy, Rocky, and I have a class to teach this afternoon at the youth center," he told her. "Wanted to get my own practice in."

"Makes sense," she laughed. Adam nodded, and picked up his book bag. They both started walking in the direction of town, Kira falling into synced step beside him. The two rangers walked in comfortable silence for a little while before strange sounds reached their ears. There was some screaming, some arguing, and some crying. Both Kira and Adam glanced at each other, frowning. No words were needed. Instinct kicked in and they raced toward the area where they the sounds were coming from, expecting tengas or something else. What they found, they were not ready for.

People were scattered around a small playground area. Most were behaving normally, but there were a few oddities. Nearest to them on a path, a little girl stood between two others, a discarded jump rope on the ground. Three pink book bags lay near a woman seated on a bench who must have been responsible for them. The little girl in the center had both arms crossed over her chest, and she was pouting, stomping her feet and protesting that she didn't want to play the stupid game. Her two friends argued with her that jump rope had been her idea. Beyond the three girls was a group of boys chasing each other around the playground shouting about fighting putties. One of the boys was whining as he ran, screaming that he wanted to be the pink ranger, not the red ranger, as he ran.

Further up the path was a full grown woman in a business suit. She was standing, ridged, arms at her sides, hands clenched into fists, her head titled up towards the sky as she wailed, crocodile tears running down her face. Beside her, a small girl, no older than four or five was pulling on her arm, talking in calm soothing voices, though there was fear in her eyes. On a bench on the opposite side of the playground sat two teenagers, slightly younger than the rangers. There was suddenly a flash of light. One moment they were making out, the next they sprang apart, staring at each other faces morphing into stunned expressions. Immediately the girls face turned to a huge grin, as she reached up and clutched her chest. The boy looked horrified and slapped her hands away, yelling at her to stop it. She laughed, grabbing his book bag and taking off running. He grabbed hers and followed.

All around Adam and Kira, similar scenes played out. Each prefaced by a strange flash of light before normal behavior shifted to chaos. "What the?" Kira stated, as she and Adam immediately began to scan the area for whatever was causing whatever it was that was going on.

"There," Adam shouted, spotting a strange creature at the top of a hill overlooking the area. Kira followed his implied line of sight, her gaze stopping on the monster. They didn't hesitate for even a moment. Both teenagers began running toward the creature whose body was large, circular, and relatively flat. It had long thin legs and arms, and a tiny head with a face that barely constituted what one might actually think of as a face. It had two enormous eyes and two slits for nostrils, but no mouth. The entirety of its body appeared to be made out of wood, except for the center of its round torso which was basically a giant mirror. Both teens skidded to a halt in front of the creature, watching the sunlight bounce off its mirror, before being redirected at the citizens of Angel Grove.

"What do you think you're doing?" Adam shouted at the creature, grabbing its attention. He and Kira both took a defensive stance.

"Just changing the minds of Angel Grove," the monster replied. Kira couldn't determine if she heard its voice inside her head, or with her ears, considering it didn't have a mouth. "It's fun."

"Changing minds?" Kira asked, frowning at Adam. He looked at her and then straight back at the monster. "Does he mean switching them?"

"That explains it, I guess," Adam replied, before narrowing his gaze into a glare at the creature. "Well, we're going to put a stop to your fun," he shouted.

"I don't think so Power Ranger. Time for you and your girlfriend to walk a mile in each other's shoes." The creature laughed, before suddenly spinning towards the rangers. Adam and Kira hadn't expected it to react so quickly, and weren't ready when the light bounced off its reflective torso and engulfing both of them. Kira felt dizzy as she was blinded by the light. She staggered, reaching up and holding her head in her left hand, using her right to steady herself, as she blinked waiting for her vision to return. When the spots cleared and the world stopped spinning, her mouth fell open at what she saw in front of her.

Barely two feet in front of her she stared at her own reflection, although it appeared to be a very strange mirror. It didn't copy her movements. Its eyes were wide, its mouth set in a grim line. Kira realized after a moment that she was still gaping like a fish as she stared down slightly at herself. When she thought about the fact that she had to look down to see her reflection, she paused, pulling her hands out in front of her, taking her eyes off of herself. She gripped her left wrist, taking in the sight of the communicator. Instead of her silver bracelet with the yellow gem in it, she saw a band as thick as a watch with a circular speaker in the center. She let her gaze drop to her feet and work their way up, taking in black shoes and jeans. She pulled the hem of her shirt out so she could see it, studying the black and gray plaid pattern. She reached behind her head, stunned, grasping with her hands, searching for her pony tail, and becoming increasingly distressed when she couldn't find it. Only then did she look back at her reflection, noticing that it seemed to be taking a similar inventory of its physical condition. Fear gripped her, as she tried very hard to summon her voice.

"Adam?" she managed to squeak out in a voice that definitely wasn't her own. She slapped her hands over her mouth as she realized she spoke with a familiar voice. Her reflection, which she realized was not actually her reflection, but her body looked back at her with a similar fear showing in her eyes.

"Kira?" she heard her own voice ask. Kira nodded her head, or rather, as she realized, Adam's head. "He… he switched us?" Kira shrugged Adam's shoulders in response as she heard the monster behind them laugh. The two teenage rangers didn't even look at him, still trying to piece together the newest bit of chaos in their life – although this was definitely more than a bit.

Kira reached out and poked her own shoulder, trying to determine if what she saw was real. "I don't believe this," she stated, still hearing Adam's voice. Adam seemed to snap out of the stupor faster than Kira. He spun immediately away from Kira, so that he was no longer looking at himself. That made it a little easier to think, and he glared daggers at the creature.

"Change us back!" he ordered, flinching at the sound of Kira's voice coming from his mouth.

"No can do little girl. This should keep you busy for a while," the monster laughed. Suddenly a flash of light illuminated the area and the creature transported further away from them, just out of striking range.

"We need to tell the others," Kira told Adam. Adam nodded in response, and went to reach for his communicator, realizing when he saw the silver and yellow band that he had no idea how to operate the device. He blinked in confusion for a moment. That moment's hesitation was all the monster needed.

"I don't think so," it called out to them, obviously still capable of hearing their conversation from the greater distance. It flashed the light at them again, this time less powerfully than the first. Both rangers blinked. "I think a change of mind is in order." The moment it spoke, it disappeared, leaving the rangers alone on the hill.

"On second thought," Kira told Adam. "Maybe we should wait until we're all together. It'll be easier that way," her expression calming a bit. After all, there was no reason to alert anyone at the moment. She couldn't remember why she'd wanted to.

"I guess that makes sense," Adam agreed, nodding, also calming down. His anger at being called a little girl and his fear at not being in his own body lessened a bit. He couldn't think of a good reason for telling the other rangers immediately. He noticed that he now wore a watch on his other wrist. He looked down at it, realizing the time. "Crap," he stated. "School's starting. You're going to need to go for me."

"What?" Kira asked, fright returning to her face. Adam had picked up his book bag and was shoving it into her arms, as she stared at him.

"Please!" Adam pleaded. Kira sighed and nodded, rubbing her head with her free hand.

"I don't know your classes though," she told him. "No one's going to believe I'm you."

"First period English with Ms. Appleby, room 113. After that just follow Aisha until the last two classes of the day. Both my electives are written on the inside of the orange notebook," he replied urgently. "Just do your best."

"We'll be each other for the day then?" she asked him, hesitantly. It seemed like a bad idea, and it definitely didn't feel like what they'd been planning to do only a few moments before. Still, telling the other rangers didn't seem urgent. Adam nodded, facial expression determined. "Alright," Kira replied. "But we'll meet at the youth center after school and when we're all together we'll tell everyone."

"Yeah," Adam replied. Kira nodded again, and turned her back on him, taking off at a jog towards the high school which she was thankful Dr. Oliver had pointed out to the teens a few days before.

Adam watched her go, confusion settling over him. He felt extremely uneasy, but he put it off as a result of being in an unfamiliar, not to mention female body. Without Kira there to watch him, he took a bit more time to observe himself, freaking out a bit more than he had when she was present. As a ranger he was used to weirdness. Shrunken, spherical, football shaped, age regressed, liquefied. Those were things he could handle. Being a girl, however, exceeded his ability to keep his cool. He spent the next hour, pacing back and forth, talking to himself, trying to calm down his increasing anxiety.

"This isn't that bad Adam," he told himself, although the sound of Kira's voice emanating from his mouth didn't convince him of that. "Oh God, this is weird!" he added, running his hands over his face. "I'm a girl! What the heck am I doing as a girl?" he muttered, increasing the speed of his pacing.

The only thing that finally stopped his ranting and erratic movements was a series of unfamiliar tones ringing out from the bracelet on his wrist. He stared at it blankly, the tones repeating themselves. They'd gone off a third time before he figured out how to answer the damn thing.

"Um… yeah?"

"Kira, are you alright? What took so long?" Dr. Oliver's voice sounded worried through the communicator.

"I'm… um… I'm fine," Adam replied, praying Dr. Oliver bought it. "Too many people around." That at least was an easy excuse to come up with.

"Ok," Dr. Oliver drew out the word. "Listen, when you finish your work out, make sure Connor and Trent don't sleep the entire day away, alright? I gave you the day off, but I didn't mean for them to spend it like zombies."

"Yeah, ok, sure Dr. Oliver," Adam replied. "Gotta go, though."

"Alright," Dr. Oliver replied, cutting the transmission. Inside the Command Center he turned to look at Ethan frowning. "Did she just call me Dr. Oliver?" he asked the teenager who shrugged. He turned to Zordon, stepping towards his old mentor. "Zordon, could you locate Kira on the viewing globe for me? I'm a bit worried about her."

 _ **Of course, Dr. Oliver**_ Zordon stated, before instructing Alpha to do so. The little robot fiddled with the controls for a moment before an image of the park began to appear inside the spherical device. Dr. Oliver and Ethan both stepped closer to it as Kira's image came into focus. She was pacing a bit in the park, and seemed slightly agitated, but otherwise she looked fine.

"Maybe she and Trent had a fight?" Ethan suggested. Dr. Oliver shrugged, frowning. He wasn't convinced something wasn't seriously wrong. "She would have told us if she was in trouble. She just seems upset," the teenager in blue added. Dr. Oliver nodded, and allowed himself to return to work with Ethan.

"Can we keep an eye on her periodically Zordon?" he asked the Eltarian. Zordon simply inclined his head in agreement. "The sooner we get this device ready, the happier I'll be," he told Ethan.

Ethan smirked. "Me too," he added. "Your friends are cool," he stated, "but I really miss technology. And my parents. And Haley. And Cyberspace."

"Anything else?" Dr. Oliver laughed at him.

"I do _not_ ," Ethan replied with a grin, stressing the word not, "miss Mesagog."

"Agreed," Dr. Oliver laughed. "Help me tighten this?" he asked the teenager, indicating a clamp around a wire he was working with. Ethan nodded and went to help him.

"You seem paranoid today," Ethan commented while they worked. Dr. Oliver shrugged in response.

"We had three days of relative quiet," Dr. Oliver replied. "Zedd and Rita haven't attacked."

"So?" Ethan asked him. Both rangers were working independently are parts of the time travel device. It would resemble a ray gun, when complete.

"Have you ever known Mesagog to take breaks?" Dr. Oliver asked him. Ethan shook his head in response. "Neither do Zedd and Rita. They're always scheming something. And they saw you during the last battle. They know there's at least one more ranger in town."

"You sure they're up to something?" Ethan asked him.

"Yeah," was Dr. Oliver's simple reply. He didn't look up from his work. "I just wish I knew what it was."

* * *

Kira sprinted into the hallway of Angel Grove high school. Only once she was inside did she slow her pace to that of a brisk walk. The halls were deserted, but that wasn't surprising considering the clock on the wall showed that it was already ten after eight. Classes had started. Sighing, Kira realized that she was late, which for her in Reefside, wasn't anything new. Mesagog had a tendency for attacks before the school day began. She quickly sought out and found room 113, and gathering her courage, turned the handle, pushing the door open.

The heavy set, short haired woman at the front stopped her lecture to turn to look at her. As did the rest of the class. Kira felt a blush rise on her cheeks, not liking being the center of attention.

"So good of you to join us, Adam," the teacher spoke. Kira blushed brighter at the address which reminded her that although she may have been used to being late, she was not currently inhabiting her own body.

"Sorry," she muttered, searching the classroom with her eyes. She found Aisha beside an empty seat and immediately moved towards it. Aisha was giving her a worried look, which contrasted many of the amused looks of the other students' faces.

"I am too," the teacher replied as Kira took Adam's seat. "But you know the rules. Detention this afternoon." Kira nodded. Detention for being late was not a new concept for her. She pulled out what appeared to be Adam's English note book, and a pencil before sinking lower into her seat.

"You're never late. What happened?" Aisha leaned toward her and whispered. Kira shrugged her shoulders in response.

"Lost track of time," she answered in her own whisper. Aisha frowned, but turned her attention back to Ms. Appleby.

* * *

"You're up earlier than I expected," Trent told Connor when he emerged from the loft just after eight o'clock in the morning. Trent was reading one of the cabin's books, still reclined on the sofa that had been his bed while he was a teenager in 1995.

"I think my internal clock has been reset," Connor muttered, pouring himself a bowl of cereal. He didn't bother taking it to the table. Instead he just leaned back against the counter. "Where's Kira?" Trent held up a note for him to read, not taking his eyes off the pages of his book. "Dr. O gives us a free day and she goes for a run? Your girlfriend is making us look bad." Trent snickered in response. "Want to go meet her at the youth center in a bit?"

"Works for me," Trent replied, shutting the book and sitting up. "I'll go get changed," he added in, running up the stairs to the loft where he kept his clothing with Connor and Ethan's. Connor just shook his head, a smirk on his face. It was about time those two admitted they were officially a couple.

* * *

Kira stood in the hallway with Aisha and Rocky while Aisha rummaged through her locker after English class. Kira was doing her best to not make it obvious that she was paying attention to where Aisha headed next.

"Aren't you going to put your books away?" Aisha asked her. "You couldn't have had time this morning," she added in. Kira shook her head. One, she didn't know which was Adam's locker. Two, she didn't know the combination, even if she could identify his.

"Why not?" Rocky asked, looking confused at his two best friends. Kira shrugged. Every time she spoke she heard Adam's voice and that made her uncomfortable.

"Adam was late for class this morning," Aisha told Rocky, shutting her locker door and hoisting her book bag higher onto her shoulder. Kira blushed, looking down at her feet.

"You're spending too much time with Tommy," Rocky told Kira with a laugh. Kira gave him a shy smile in return, still refusing to join in the conversation.

"Who's been spending too much time with me?" Tommy asked, coming up behind them. The group started walking down the hall, so Kira followed along, knowing that each of her next four classes would be with Aisha.

"Adam," Rocky replied.

"He's got detention for coming to class late," Aisha added in. Tommy gave Kira a pained look. "What happened anyway?" Aisha asked, shifting her attention back to Kira. Apparently her answer in English class had not satisfied the girl's curiosity. Kira was beginning to realize that although being late wasn't a huge deal for her, it probably was for Adam.

"Ran into Kira at the park," she said, although saying her own name was beyond strange. "We were talking and I just completely lost track of time. It's no big deal," she added in, although the three angel grove rangers didn't look convinced. They all paused just outside of a classroom when they were approached by a girl with skin almost as dark as Aisha's.

"Hey Adam," the girl said, smiling at Kira. Surprised at the address, Kira hesitated for a moment before realizing that the girl was talking to her.

"Oh hey," she said, noticing Aisha, Tommy, and Rocky pull away a little, smirks and grins on their faces. Kira looked back at the girl, not understanding why she was being left alone with her.

"I was wondering, if you're not busy this weekend, if you'd maybe want to go to the movies with me?"

Kira was floored. She was standing in the middle of a high school in the 90s, in a body that was not her own, or even her own gender, and she was being asked out. Or rather Adam was. It was more than a little bizzare. The constant blush she'd been wearing all morning returned to her cheeks, as she stammered a bit.

"I'm not sure. I think I might have plans," Kira managed to choke out, not noticing the strange looks Aisha, Tommy and Rocky were making behind her. The girl in front of her looked disappointed. Her smile faded and she nodded.

"I understand. Maybe some other time then."

"Yeah," Kira replied, with a slight nod.

"See ya," the girl stated. Kira returned the sentiment as the girl wandered off down the hallway, and the three others rejoined her. Aisha glared at her, rolling her eyes and walking into the classroom. Kira sighed.

"What'd I do?" she asked Rocky and Tommy.

"Dude," Rocky stated. "Are you blind? That was Sarah! The girl you've had a crush on for months."

"She just asked you out and you turned her down. Are you feeling ok?" Tommy asked him, concern written on his face. Internally Kira groaned, hoping she hadn't just screwed up Adam's future. If they managed to get out of this mess, she'd ask Dr. O later. Externally, Kira shrugged slightly.

"Just not in the mood to go out," she replied, before walking into the classroom that Aisha had disappeared into. Rocky and Tommy exchanged confused looks before they followed her.

* * *

Ok, so in case anyone is wondering "Why Adam?" He's my favorite ranger, and I haven't tortured him yet. LOL. Otherwise, depending on the time frame of future stories, it might be a nice memory to relive if I bring this all the way into Operation Overdrive. Plus, its just down right funny.

Please leave a review, and if you've reviewed anonymously in the last few chapters - Thank you!

Fateless


	24. Chapter 24

So a bit of clarification for this chapter. When viewed from Adam or Kira's point of view, the individual in Kira's body will be referenced as Adam, and the individual in Adam's body will be referenced as Kira. This is because their minds of aware of who they actually are. However, if the scene is being told from one of the other nine characters point of view, since they are unaware of the change - Kira's body will be thought of as Kira, while Adam's body will be thought of as Adam. Yep, confusing. I know. But funny!

Enjoy!

* * *

"I'm a girl," Adam muttered to himself from where he sat at a table outside the youth center, the book bag he'd been wearing lay at his feet. He had been muttering the same three words over and over again quietly, not letting anyone hear him. Dr. Oliver's communication had knocked him out of his shock enough to convince him to leave the park. He'd thought about going back to the lake cabin, only to realize he didn't know how to get there. Every time he and the other rangers had visited, they had teleported, and Kira had his communicator, so that wasn't even a possibility. Therefore, he'd wandered into town and eventually found himself seated at one of the outdoor tables, picking at a thing of nachos, as it was only just approaching ten in the morning.

"Kira!" a voice called out. At first Adam didn't react. "Kira?" the voice called again, and Adam's head snapped up, realizing whomever it was had been calling out to him. He searched, letting his eyes come to rest on Connor and Trent who were approaching him, waving and smiling. He took a deep breath and waved back, forcing a smile onto his face.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Adam asked them, as Connor fell into a chair across from him. The boy clad in red reached over and stole one of the nachos.

"How are you still hungry? You just had breakfast," Trent asked him, as he took the seat on Adam's right.

Connor shrugged. "How come you didn't come back to the cabin?"

"Um… figured you'd find me here," Adam replied, pushing the basket of nachos closer to Connor, who was apparently more interested in them than he was. Trent frowned at him.

"Are you ok? Is something bothering you?"

"I'm fine," Adam retorted a little too quickly. He realized Trent was still frowning. "Just tired," he added in, faking a yawn and giving Trent a small smile. Trent's gaze deepened but he nodded.

"Serves you right for not sleeping in," Connor replied, mouth full of nachos.

"Leave her alone, Connor," Trent scolded him. Adam blinked, taken aback slightly by the pronoun that Trent had used. Connor grinned at Trent. The boy in white laughed and shook his head, before turning back to Adam. "Did you sleep alright?" he asked him, his face showing some concern.

Adam paused for a moment before remembering that Kira and Trent were something of a couple. Maybe not as serious as Kim and Tommy, but definitely on that road. Of course Trent would be concerned if something seemed off about Kira. Adam nodded, shifting his body slightly so he leaned away from Trent, who now that he thought of it, was sitting a little closer to him than he would have liked.

"Just over did it on the run a bit this morning, that's all," Adam replied.

"Guess you're not up for going inside and sparing a bit, then?" Connor asked him. Trent raised an eyebrow, indicating that that was the boys plan for the morning all along.

"I'll come in and watch you guys," Adam answered, although a little bit reluctantly. He wasn't sure how much of a good idea it was to spend the day with Connor and especially Trent. Both of Kira's teammates smiled and nodded. The three of them stood up, Adam grabbing his book bag, and left the now empty basket of nachos on the table, and entering the youth center through one of the side doors.

Connor and Trent led the way over to several unused mats off to one side. Considering school was in session, the youth center wasn't very crowded. Adam leaned against one of the walls, dropping the book bag at his feet, and watched as the two teenagers bowed to one another the way Dr. Oliver had trained them, and then began to go through several moves, each trying to take down the other. They were getting really good. He was quite impressed with them. Not quite ready to actually beat Tommy and Rocky, but he was sure that they'd hold their own even better than they had the day that they had battled beside them for the first time. Even though they'd had help from Dr. Oliver that day and held their own for quite some time against Adam's teammates, he was still confident Rocky and Tommy would have won in the end.

The match went back and forth for several minutes before Connor scored a punch to Trent's shoulder that knocked him backwards. The following sweeping kick moved Trent's feet out from under him, and the teenager in white hit the mats. Connor bent down and extended his hand to Trent, who smiled and took it, allowing his teammate to pull him up.

"That was pretty good," Adam commented, thinking out loud. He cursed himself when both boys turned their attention to him.

"You sure you're too tired to have a go?" Connor taunted.

"Go on Kira," Trent encouraged. "You can take him."

"Right," Connor said, with a snort, crossing his arms over his chest, grinning from ear to ear. Although Adam knew that Connor thought he was just baiting his female teammate, he didn't appreciate being taunted. He didn't think Kira would have either if she'd been there. He rolled his eyes and pushed himself away from the wall, walking out onto the mats. "Oh… you're going to take me then, huh?"

"Yes," Adam replied simply. Trent grinned and raised his eyebrows at Connor, gesturing to let the red clad teenage pass him and resume a position on the mats. Connor laughed and positioned himself in front of Adam, bowing like they usually did. Adam returned the bow, and immediately fell into fighting stance.

Connor swung at Adam, immediately going on the offensive. Adam saw his punch coming, and rather than duck, he blocked it. Connor, figuring his opponent would counter with mostly defense like she normally did, was surprised when he barely dodged the blow aimed at him. He rolled on the ground, and jumped to his feet, only to have to leap into the air to avoid a sweeping kick that would have knocked him down had it actually landed. Eyes going wide, not used to so many offensive attacks from Kira in a row, Connor shifted into defense. Kicks and punches were flying at him so quickly, Connor didn't have enough time to counter attack. The moment he failed to switch from the offensive stance to a defensive maneuver, a round house kick knocked him backwards off his feet where he landed on his back, the wind knocked out of him, in less time than it had taken him to floor Trent. He lay there for a moment, breathing hard, his eyes shut.

Trent however, was staring at Adam as if he'd grown a second head. Adam was still in the final stance from the match. When he realized Trent was staring, he stood straight up, a slight blush on his face. Adam walked over to Connor and offered a hand down.

"Sorry," he muttered to Connor who cracked one eye open. The boy's face broke into a grin, as he took Adam's hand.

"When did you learn how to do that?" Connor stated his voice enthusiastic. Trent had come over to join them. Before Adam could react, Trent, behind Adam, wrapped both of his arms around his shoulders, and leaned down to kiss him lightly on the lips. Adam went rigid, eyes wide, before slipping out of Trent's grasp. Trent looked hurt, casting his glance at his feet, while Adam just blushed.

"Not here," he stated, his voice quiet. He didn't want to hurt the boy's feelings, or damage Kira and Trent's relationship, but there were some things he just was not ok with pretending. He hoped Trent would just take his response as Kira not wanting any public displays of affection. The boy looked back up from his feet, the hurt still written on his face, but he nodded.

Connor however, didn't seem to have noticed anything awkward about the exchange. "Seriously," he stated. "How did you do that?"

"It's called practice, Connor," Trent told him, a bit of irritation in his voice. Adam wasn't sure if he was irritated at Connor or at whom he thought was Kira at that moment. "Besides," Trent added in. "You were way overconfident."

"I beat you didn't I?" Connor retorted.

"You wouldn't in morph," Trent hissed back at him.

"Guys!" Adam stated, getting in between the two boys whose postures had taken on less than friendly positions. "Cut it out."

"Sorry," they both muttered. "That was really good by the way, Kira," Trent added. Connor nodded agreement. "Where did you learn it?"

"Um…" Adam realized he'd accidentally brought the attention back on himself by stopping the two hot headed teenagers from fighting with one another. "TV?"

"Yeah right," Connor snorted, leading the group off the mats and over to some of the weight machines. He leaned against one as Trent took a seat on the bench.

"She's holding out on us," Trent added, laughing, assuming Kira's remark had been a joke.

"Hey," Adam said, going with it. "I can't tell you all my secrets, can I?" Both teenage boys laughed and shook their heads. Adam smiled back, turning to a separate weight machine. Mind occupied, he set the weight pin to his normal and placed his arms against the pads, gripping the bars. He started to pull the bars towards each other in front of him. They moved, but barely.

"Getting a bit carried away, aren't you Kira?" Connor asked, raising an eyebrow. Adam's face registered surprise and realization all at once.

"That amount of weight is pushing it for us," Trent added in, gesturing to where Adam had set the pins. Adam blinked, and blushed. He was getting tired of feeling embarrassed by the situation, and for a brief moment, he contemplated coming clean to the two boys about his identity. However, the thought lasted only a millisecond in his mind before it dissolved, and he resolved to wait until he and Kira were with everyone that afternoon.

"Oops," he stated instead, reaching for the pin and setting to a weight more similar to what he'd seen Kim and Aisha use in their workouts. The two dino thunder rangers just laughed at him before turning their attentions to their own workouts.

* * *

Kira sighed. Since math class that morning, Aisha hadn't said a word to her. She wouldn't even speak to her during lunch. It was as if the girl was taking her rejection of a date with Sarah personally. It wasn't like she'd rejected her. Granted, it wasn't the silence that was bothering her. In fact, Kira was pleased that she hadn't had to open her mouth much since the unfortunate moment in the hall. She however, noticed that Rocky and Tommy kept giving her strange looks at lunch, and apparently filled Billy in on her strange behavior. If only they had known the truth.

Now Kira sat beside Aisha in science during their fourth class of the day, directly following lunch. They sat at a two person lab bench with a bunch of chemicals in front of them. Aisha wouldn't even look at her, and the only thing she had said was to pass the sodium hydroxide that they needed to use to neutralize the hydrochloric acid in the beaker in front of them. Kira had complied, and just let Aisha take the lead. While back in Reefside, science was one of the only classes she enjoyed, it was not due to love of the subject, or even remote understanding.

"Aisha," she finally gave in, not liking the cold shoulder she was receiving. "Please talk to me," she added in. Now it was Aisha's turn to sigh. The girl looked up and brushed her braids out of her face.

"I guess I have been a bit harsh on you," she told him, an apologetic smile on her face. "But you had so much fun with Sarah at the dance last semester. I though you liked her."

"She's a friend of yours?" Kira asked, realizing why Aisha was taking it so personally.

"Duh," Aisha laughed. "You knew that, Adam. Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

Kira nodded. "Just not sure I want to date anyone right now," she stated, searching her mind for a plausible reason. "What with the whole, you know," she added, tapping the communicator on her wrist. Aisha smiled and nodded, understanding.

"We can't put our lives on hold though. You've got to have some fun," Aisha replied.

"Like what you've been doing with Connor?" Kira asked her. Immediately she began to curse herself for bringing that up. Aisha just laughed. "You like him don't you?"

"He's fun," Aisha replied, and Kira contorted her face into one of disgust, trying not to imagine what Aisha had meant. "Not like that," Aisha laughed again. "He's light hearted. Knows not to take things too seriously unless he really has to. Kind of like Rocky."

"Rocky?" Kira asked, frowning.

"Please don't tell me you've forgotten who he is too," Aisha stated, a grin plastered on her face, her hands on her hips. Kira laughed and shook her head.

"No," she stated. "I know who Rocky is. Just trying to figure out what you mean."

"I mean, I've been waiting for Rocky to make some kind of move for months now, and well, he just doesn't. Connor did. At the dance. Before Kim got grabbed," Aisha told Kira, letting her voice drop. "I know he's going to be leaving soon, but for right now, I just like being in his company. He treats me like a girl, instead of like just another ranger, you know?"

Kira nodded. She completely understood that feeling. It was one of the things that attracted her to Trent. Trent made her feel like a girl, and not just a ranger. Sometimes she needed that.

"Adam?" Aisha asked, knocking Kira out of her thoughts.

"Hmm?"

"Don't tell Rocky what I told you, ok?" She had a slight shy grin on her face. Kira nodded again, as they both resumed their science experiment.

* * *

"Spying on Kira again Dr. O?" Ethan asked, looking up from where he was working. Dr. Oliver had taken a break and was watching the other three dino thunder rangers working out at the juice bar. Aside from the fact that Kira appeared to be avoiding standing or sitting too close to Trent, nothing else seemed a miss. Well, that and the fact that he'd caught the tail end of a sparring match between Trent and Kira, and had watched Kira take the white ranger down with a move he knew, but was sure he hadn't taught her.

"What?" Dr. Oliver asked, breaking his gaze at the viewing globe. He had one hand across his chest, supporting the elbow of his other hand, which held his chin as he contemplated the scene in front of him. Kira offered a hand down to Trent, but as soon as he was on his feet, she'd released her grip and stepped away, as if wanting to add space between them. Poor Trent looked confused and hurt all at once. "Oh, yeah, I guess. I don't know what it is, but something just seems off. She's avoiding Trent like he's got the plague."

"I told you," Ethan replied. "Maybe they're fighting and we just don't know about it."

"They seemed fine last night," Dr. Oliver stated. "I just have a bad feeling that there's something we're all missing." Ethan shrugged his shoulders, as Dr. Oliver turned his back on the viewing globe. "I'm going to go out and get some air," he added in. The teenager nodded. They'd been working hard all morning. They'd stopped to eat the sandwiches that Dr. Oliver had packed them, but aside from that, they hadn't taken any real breaks. Dr. Oliver walked out of the Command Center, leaving Ethan relatively alone. Zordon and Alpha didn't really pay him much attention.

Ethan stepped closer to the viewing globe, and observed the scene. Trent and Kira were on separate sides of the youth center. Kira was using a leg machine, while Trent did pull ups on a bar. Connor was at the counter, watching the news station and sipping ice water through a straw. No one was near him. Satisfied with that, Ethan brought his communicator to his lips and pressed the button that would connect him with his leader.

"Dr. O?"

"No, it's me," Ethan said in response to Connor's question. Ethan watched as Connor took his cup and moved out into a secluded hallway, out of Ethan's view. Ethan turned his back to the viewing globe.

"What's up Ethan? Is something wrong?"

"Not exactly," Ethan told him, running his other hand over his head. "I don't know, maybe Dr. O's just being paranoid, but he seems to think something strange is going on. That Zedd and Rita might be launching an attack."

"Why does he think that?" Connor replied, in a quiet voice.

"There hasn't been an attack in a few days," Ethan replied. "I guess he thinks that's unusual. But he's been preoccupied with Kira all day."

"Kira?"

"Yeah. She called him Dr. Oliver this morning, and that kind of set him off," Ethan said. Saying it out loud, he realized how ridiculous it sounded. Seriously, his teacher was upset because his student had called him by his full name, and not by his nick name. "Has she been acting weird?"

"A little actually," Connor replied, taking Ethan by surprise. He really had expected Connor to laugh his concerns off. "I thought it was just me."

"Apparently not," Ethan stated, raising his eyebrows. "Listen, just keep an eye on her, alright. Contact Dr. O if things get really strange."

"Alright," Connor stated. "I'll keep you guys posted."

"Thanks Connor."

"No problem," he replied, and cut the transmission. Connor walked back into the youth center and glanced up at the clock. It was nearing two in the afternoon. The other rangers were due out of school in a little over an hour. Maybe once they were all there, together they could figure out what was going on with Kira.

* * *

Kimberly sat at an easel in art class between Rocky and Tommy during their last period of the day. She was having a hard time focusing on the fruit bowl she was supposed to be painting, unable to take her eyes off Adam on the opposite side of the room. At lunch he'd been even more quiet than usual, and Aisha had told her about what happened with Sarah that morning. Tommy caught on to her line of vision.

"What's wrong?" he asked her, keeping his voice low. Their teacher expected them to paint, not chatter. Kimberly shrugged, but her frown just deepened.

"Adam does seem odd today doesn't he?" she asked him.

"Odd doesn't begin to describe it," Tommy told her with a nod. "He was late to class this morning, he rejected the girl he's had a crush on for a long time, and this afternoon in political science, the teacher called his name a good ten times before he responded, with the wrong answer."

"Maybe it's the detention he's got this afternoon," Rocky put in, having heard their conversation. "It's probably weighing on him."

Kimberly shrugged and bit her lip, as the bell rang. The three rangers put their paints up and took off the aprons they wore to protect their clothing, as Adam walked over to them.

"Hey man, you alright?" Tommy asked, him, clapping him on the shoulder. Adam didn't look up from his feet. He seemed really down and out of it. Instead of replying, he just nodded. "It's just detention. You'll be out before you know it," Tommy said, trying to be positive. Adam looked up at him, surprise evident in his eyes. Tommy stepped back slightly, not expecting that. He blinked, trying to figure out why the look Adam gave him unnerved him. It was as if Adam didn't recognize him.

"Adam," Kimberly asked, as the four walked out into the hall, "are you sure you're ok?"

"I'm fine," Adam replied. "I wish everyone would stop asking me that," he added, anger in his voice. He was looking up and down the hall confused, as if he didn't know where he should go. Instead of picking a direction on his own, he just fell into step beside the other three as they headed toward their lockers.

"Sorry," Rocky told him, frowning. "We're just concerned."

"Don't be," Adam replied, as the three stopped outside a classroom. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry for snapping. Just feeling tired from being up early I guess."

"It's alright," Tommy told him with a smile. "We all have bad days. We'll see you at the youth center after your detention? Don't forget, we've got that lesson to teach at four fifteen."

"Lesson, right," Adam replied, with a nod. He expected his friends to start moving again, but they didn't. Instead they frowned and looked at him concerned.

"Frog boy," Rocky told him, raising an eyebrow, "you going to go in? You don't need detention for being late to detention."

"Oh, right," Adam stated, as if shaking himself out of a stupor. He gave the three a small smile and turned to enter the classroom beside him, leaving the other three in the hall.

"Guys," Kimberly stated. "I'm really worried about him." They resumed walking to their lockers and met up with both Aisha and Billy. They all reached their lockers and began putting books away and taking other items out.

"Adam?" Billy asked, catching the tail end of Kimberly's remark. She nodded.

"He's acting really strange," Tommy confirmed.

"Did anything happen today before school?" Billy asked. Everyone accept Aisha shrugged.

"He met up with Kira in the park this morning," she told them. "Kim and I are supposed to be meeting her at the youth center to go shopping this afternoon. Maybe she'll know if something happened."

"Let's go ask her," Tommy stated, shutting his locker. The other four shut their lockers as well and followed him out of the school.

They arrived at the youth center at about three ten in the afternoon, only to find Connor, Kira, and Trent occupying a table, drinking glasses of water, and snaking on another bowl of nachos. Trent sat on one side of the table, while Kira sat closer to Connor on the other. The fourth chair was occupied by Kira's book bag.

"Hey guys," Connor waved, greeting the group when they came into the youth center. Tommy and his friends returned his smile and wave, before heading over to join them, Rocky, Tommy, and Billy falling into chairs, dropping their school bags. "How was school?" Connor asked.

"It was school," Rocky said flatly, stealing a nacho from the basket, just as Connor had done that morning. He gave the teenager a cool look. Connor's absence the day before had cooled Rocky's temper toward the teenager a bit. Not to mention the fact that Adam had basically told him to get his shit together. However, he still wasn't exactly pleased to see him.

"Where's Adam?" Kira asked, glancing around the room. Her face showed more concern than necessary.

"He got detention for being late to class this morning," Tommy replied, noticing Kira's face fall. He frowned. "Speaking of Adam," he added, "he said you guys ran into each other this morning in the park. Was he acting weird at all?"

Kira visibly stiffened at his question. Connor and Trent shot each other looks. Connor had filled Trent in on Ethan and Dr. Oliver's concern. They looked back at Kira, waiting to see what her answer would be. "Not that I noticed," Kira said, a tad bit reluctantly. "He was practicing some katas. Said he wanted to get his own work out in before school since you guys have a karate class to teach this afternoon."

"So he remembered having to teach this morning," Rocky stated, "but by this afternoon, he'd forgotten about it. Maybe he and Tommy switched memories," he laughed. Everyone else joined in although Kira's laugh seemed nervous.

"I guess we'll just have to keep an eye on him," Billy stated, reaching down to his book bag to grab his books and begin working on homework.

"You almost ready to go Kira?" Kimberly asked her. The girl looked confused.

"Go?"

"Yeah, the mall, remember?" Aisha stated. She picked up Kira's book bag and tossed it at her. Kira caught it in midair and brought it down from in front of her face. "Go shower so we can go try on clothes!"

"Shower?" Kira squeaked, her eyes wide with fear.

"Uh huh," Kimberly told her, nodding slowly. Concern on her face. "Over there," she pointed at the sign near the lockers that pointed towards the youth center's showers. Kira gulped, and stood up slowly. She reluctantly walked off towards the locker rooms clutching her book bag to her chest. Just before she walked under the arch, she cast a look back over her shoulder at the group at the tables, before turning back and disappearing around the corner.

"So," Connor stated the moment she was gone, getting everyone's attention. "Kira's not the only one acting strange. Adam's been weird all day too?"

"Kira's behavior's been odd?" Billy asked them. Both Trent and Connor nodded. "How so?"

"It's not easy to pin point. She just seems really forgetful," Connor stated.

"And withdrawn; like she doesn't want to be here, or with us," Trent put in.

"Maybe she's just tired of being stuck here?" Aisha asked. "I mean, as of today, you've been here for two weeks."

"I don't know," Connor told them. "It's just not like her."

"Tommy," Billy stated. "I'm not comfortable with the idea of it being coincidence that both Kira and Adam are exhibiting manners outside of their normal patterns of behavior."

"I agree," Tommy nodded. "Go to the Command Center. See what you can find out from Alpha and Zordon. We'll keep an eye on the two of them. Let us know what you find." Billy regathered up his books and nodded, standing. As he left the youth center, Kimberly fell into his seat, and Aisha pulled up another one to wait for Kira.

* * *

Adam had stood outside the women's showers in panic mode for about two full minutes. At that very moment, he considered rushing straight back into the main portion of the youth center and confessing everything. But some strange buzzing in his mind kept him routed in his spot, his legs not cooperating. Finally, he realized there was nothing to do but to get it over with. His friends would know he hadn't actually showered if he returned without doing so.

"I am so sorry," he muttered, somehow hoping the real Kira would understand. He squeezed his eyes shut and walked into the women's showers, only opening a slit so he could blurrily see where he was going. For once, it seemed like luck was on his side, and the showers were completely empty. He opened his eyes, grabbed a towel from the stack by the door, and made his way to the first shower stall, refusing to go any deeper into the room than was absolutely necessary. He hung the book bag he carried on a hook within the changing area of the stall, and then gulped again, pressing the fear and panic out of his mind. He reached into the shower and turned on the water, pulling back his hand out of the stream. He then shut his eyes as tight as he could, and began to take his clothes off, setting them down on the bench beside him.

He jumped into the shower, still refusing to open his eyes and used his hands to feel for the soap pump on the wall. He then began to wash. "I am so going to hell," he muttered to the empty room. He avoided as much unnecessary touching as possible, and was out of the shower in less than two minutes. Drying himself off was almost more difficult than the washing part had been, but he accomplished it, except for the dripping that was running down his back from his now much longer than he was used to hair. Unfortunately, he realized he hadn't thought to take out clean clothing from Kira's book bag before he'd gotten into the shower, and was forced to open his eyes to undo the belt like clasp on the bag. "Just don't look down, Adam. Don't look down," he told himself, focusing straight in front of him, and avoiding all peripheral vision (mostly the vertically down edges of his field of view). Once he'd gotten all of the clothing out of the bag, he realized the hardest part had yet to come, as he held up a white and yellow bra, and made a face. He had absolutely no idea how to put it on.

It took him longer to get dressed than the entire rest of the process, but once he'd covered his body in a yellow tank top and blue jean shorts, he hurriedly stuffed the workout clothing he'd been wearing earlier into the book bag and dashed out of the shower room as two other teenagers entered. It was barely three twenty when he headed back to the table.

"Dude, that's the fastest shower Kira's ever taken," Connor muttered to Trent who hit him. Adam shot the two of them a look before gazing around. Billy, Tommy, and Rocky were all missing.

"Where did everyone go?" Adam asked.

"Tommy and Rocky went to change before their class," Aisha told him. "And Billy took off to help Dr. Oliver and Ethan."

"You ready to go?" Kimberly asked him. Adam sighed, realizing his last hope for waiting until Kira got there had gone up in smoke. He nodded, as the two girls stood up from the table.

"See you guys later," Aisha called to Connor and Trent. Both smiled and waved as the three left the youth center, bound for the mall.

* * *

All I can say at this point is poor Adam... and maybe poor Kira when she finds out. But really, poor Adam.

Oh and I'm not a big superbowl person, so there may be another chapter up tonight. Depending on if I finish writing Chapter 26.

Reviews are always appreciated

Fateless.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 26 is written and I'm working on 27. This is for those of you who are like me and not a huge football fan. Here's something to do.

* * *

"Adam, maybe you'd better call it quits for the day," Rocky's voice reached her from a few feet away. Kira looked up from where she was trying to "help" a few students get the hang of the simple kata they were learning. Kira actually knew this one. It was one of the first that Dr. Oliver had taught her and the other dino thunder rangers, but she'd never taught it before, and she was royally screwing up, like everything else she had done during the lesson. Kira just nodded, looking up at the clock on the wall and realizing it was nearly five o'clock, the time the lesson would end. She gave the confused students a small smile, and walked over to the table where Connor and Trent were sitting, frowning at her.

"Dude, you alright?" Connor asked her. She was really getting tired of that question. She'd raced to the youth center as soon as the teacher had released her from detention, only to find more than half of the group of rangers was missing, including Adam. In the chaos, she'd forgotten all about the shopping plan she'd had with Aisha and Kim. She'd been desperately hoping they could tell everyone and end the madness. Unfortunately, without him there, that wasn't going to happen, not that she hadn't tried. The moment she'd seen Trent she'd tried to tell him the truth, only to find that the words wouldn't come out. Only when she'd resolved to wait until the entire group was united did she find she was able to speak again. In response to Connor's question, she just nodded, taking a sip of the bottle of water she had at the table, letting herself watch Tommy and Rocky finish teaching the class. Once they'd dismissed the students, both walked toward the table, grabbing a small towel each, and wiping their faces. Rocky opened his mouth to say something to Kira.

"Don't even ask," Kira silenced him, knowing what question was. She was irritated and angry, and unfortunately, she really had to pee. She'd been holding it since lunch with the hope of finally getting back to normal as soon as school had let out. However, now she gave up, leaving the four teenage boys behind her as she took off towards the rest rooms, only because it gave her an excuse not to be asked if she was alright again. She paused outside them, panicking for a moment over which to use. "Damn it," she muttered, before pushing open the men's room door and entering. Only one person occupied the room, and he was washing his hands. Kira avoided all eye contact, staring down at her feet and coming to a stop in front of the urinals. Seeing them put the whole damn day into perspective, and Kira stood there fighting the urge to just break down and cry.

"Uh, Adam?" Tommy's voice behind her caused her to jump in alarm. She hadn't heard him enter the room. Kira snapped out of it, and tried to ignore the fact that the younger version of her science teacher stepped up to a urinal about three down from the one she was standing in front of, staring.

"Fuck," Kira whispered, too quiet for even Tommy to hear. She desperately tried to ignore what Tommy was doing, as well as the fact that her body was currently not giving her say in the matter of following suit. She turned her head away from Tommy, and as fast as she dared, untied the string on the karate pants she was wearing. Changing earlier hadn't been that bad, as she'd just gone into the locker room, and she hadn't had to remove Adam's boxers. This on the other hand was a whole new experience. She shut her eyes tight, and tried not to think about what she was actually touching, praying she was aiming correctly, as she heard Tommy finish and start washing his hands. The sound of running water was easier to concentrate on.

By the time she finished, Tommy had left the bathroom. Kira washed her hands, scrubbing hard at the skin on her palms, muttering "Ew, ew, ew, ew" over and over to herself as she did. When she got back to the work out area she realized the four guys weren't sitting at the table. She scanned until she found them in the corner near the lockers. She walked over, and Trent handed her Adam's book bag. She frowned, looking confused.

"Emergency," Tommy told her, indicating his communicator. Kira nodded, as she stepped into the alcove with them, partially hidden by a few plastic plants. Tommy and Rocky each placed their hands on Connor and Trent's shoulders, before using their other hand to press a button on their communicators. They teleported out in colored streaks of light. Kira blinked, realizing they'd left her behind.

"Oh shit," she stated, looking down at the communicator on her wrist. "I hope this is the right button," she muttered, pressing one of the controls. She felt the strange sensation of teleporting and then stumbled a bit when she landed in the Command Center.

"Where's Adam?" she heard Aisha's voice say just as she materialized. She gazed around the Command Center and sighed in relief. One because she'd ended up where she needed to go. And two because all ten of the other rangers were present. Immediately, the ever present buzzing in her head when she thought about her present situation stopped. It was as if a huge weight had been lifted off her chest. But now, after everything that had happened over the course of the day, she wasn't sure she wanted anyone to know. She was going to have nightmares about it for weeks.

"Sorry," Kira replied, as the four she'd been with moments before looked over at her worried. "Tripped. Pressed the button a moment after you," she added, seeing herself roll her eyes. She glared at Adam. It was partially his fault for leaving with Kim and Aisha. Had he been there, they may have been able to persuade everyone to go back to the Command Center earlier.

 _ **Rangers! There has been a disturbance in the park**_ Zordon stated, now that all of them were present. Billy nodded.

"I've been scanning Angel Grove for the last hour, and finally found this," Billy stated, indicating the viewing globe. The ten others shifted to look at it. Inside the viewing globe was the monster Kira had seen that morning with Adam. It was running around the park terrorizing people, sending flashes of light at anyone it pleased. Everyone except Kira and Adam stepped closer to get a better look. The other two didn't need to see. They knew what the disturbance was. The looked at each other and blushed.

"What is that thing?" Kimberly asked.

"What's it doing?" Connor followed.

 _ **He is called Mind Changer. Another of Lord Zedd and Rita's creations. He has been spreading chaos all day throughout Angel Grove park by switching the minds of anyone whom he hits with his beam of light.**_

"Switching minds?" Aisha asked, frowning. "You mean he's able to transfer the mind from one person and put it in another?"

 _ **Precisely Yellow Ranger.**_

"In the park?" Tommy asked, looking over at Adam and Kira who stood toward the back of the group. His face had gone pale. Everyone except Dr. Oliver and Ethan were now staring at Adam and Kira, who dropped their gazes to their feet, their faces showing brighter red than Rocky and Connor's suits.

"All day?" Rocky added. The two word question was fully loaded. Both Kira and Adam knew exactly what Tommy and Rocky were asking them. They both sighed and nodded slowly, still not looking up from the ground. The only bright side was that they at least didn't have to voice their confession out loud.

"Oh my gosh," Kimberly and Aisha muttered at the same time as Connor, Rocky, and Billy, all said "Well, that explains a lot." Trent and Tommy both just looked pale.

 _ **Alpha, please begin a scan of Kira and Adam**_ Zordon commanded, recognizing what the rangers were all hinting out without speaking the truth.

"Right away Zordon," the little robot replied. He immediately approached the two named rangers and began running a scanner over their bodies.

"Oh god!" Tommy muttered, running his hand over his face. Dr. Oliver looked at his younger self confused. "Please tell me what I think is happening isn't happening," Tommy stated, not really directing his plea at anyone.

"We can't," Kira's body stated, while Adam's just shrugged his shoulders.

"What am I missing?" Dr. Oliver asked, looking from Kira and Adam, and then the rest of the group who had teleported in. While he did feel something had been off all day, he hadn't had direct contact with the two rangers in question, and therefore was not putting the monster together with the weirdness of the day.

"I went to the bathroom in front of you!" Tommy shouted at Adam's body, both of their faces blushing a deep red.

"You went to the bathroom?" Kira's body suddenly whirled to face Adam, horror on her face. Alpha finished the scan and ignoring the rangers, went to input the information into the computer.

"What did you expect me to do, hold it?" Adam's body snapped back.

"Yes!" was the response.

"Don't yell at her," Kimberly suddenly stated, clearly knowing what was going on. She walked over and wrapped her arms protectively around Adam's shoulders, glaring at Kira and her boyfriend. Dr. Oliver and Ethan blinked at Kim's use of the feminine pronoun when she was clearly speaking about Adam. "You showered," she told Kira.

"You did what?" Adam's body yelled, throwing Kimberly's arms off its shoulders, causing Kira's body to flinch and look away. Adam's face contorted.

"You saw my girlfriend naked?" Trent added, his face going red, not with embarrassment but with anger!

"I didn't look!" Kira's body defended. Dr. Oliver and Ethan were desperately trying to follow what was happening.

"Like that makes it any better," Adam's body muttered, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Well, now I know why you freaked out when I kissed you," Trent stated simply.

"You kissed him," Adam's body whined. The teenager looked hurt. Trent shrugged and gave him an apologetic look.

"I thought he was you," Trent replied, although he was still very weirded out by the situation.

"Ok, before this goes on any longer, can someone please fill those of us who haven't been present all day in on what the hell is going on?" Dr. Oliver suddenly shouting, getting their attention. Everyone looked over at him.

Billy took a deep breath and nodded. "Adam and Kira met up in the park this morning before school. Apparently Mind Changer got them."

"You're telling us that that," Ethan stated, pointing at Adam, "is Kira? And that that," his finger shifted to Kira, "Is Adam."

"Affirmative," Billy replied. Adam and Kira both nodded.

"So you two have been in each other's bodies all day?" Dr. Oliver asked them, his face showing that he almost didn't believe it. Both teenagers nodded again, clearly intimidated by him. "When Kira called me Dr. Oliver, that was Adam?" he asked, trying to get it all straight. Again, nods, although this time just from the real Adam.

"So it was Kira who turned down Sarah for the date this morning," Rocky muttered. Adam's eyes flashed as he looked over at Kira.

"Sorry," she muttered. Adam sighed and nodded. He'd showered in her body. He had officially done worse. He could forgive her the loss of a date.

"Why didn't you guys tell anyone?" Dr. Oliver asked. The two teenagers in question shrugged.

"We were going to right after it happened, Dr. O," Kira stated, slumping her shoulders.

"So why didn't you?" Tommy asked them.

"We, um," Adam hesitated, and looked at Kira, who shrugged in response. "We changed our minds."

"You what?" Tommy, Rocky, and Connor shouted at them. The three looked at their teammates, not believing what they had just heard.

"Of all the stupid excuses," Dr. Oliver stated, glaring at both of them. "What were you thinking?"

 _ **Do not be angry with them**_ Zordon interrupted. Everyone, including Adam and Kira looked up at the Eltarian. _**Data from the scanners indicates that Adam and Kira had every intention of alerting us to the situation. It appears that Mind Changer can do more than switch individuals' minds. He can change their thoughts. Mind Changer made it so that when Adam and Kira tried to inform us of their present situation, they were unable to. And therefore, he was able to spend the day, spreading chaos and destruction.**_

The rangers all nodded, and Kimberly walked up to Kira, placing her hand on her shoulder. "It's going to be alright," she told her. "We've been through this before. I know exactly how you're feeling."

"You do?" Kira asked, looking up from her feet. Since they'd arrived in the Command Center and the truth had come out, she'd been wearing a perpetual blush. Kimberly nodded.

"Kim and I switched bodies back when we first became rangers," Billy explained kindly, when even Adam looked up at Kim's words looking for some type of comfort. Apparently, both teenagers felt quite traumatized. "It was quite a catastrophe."

"How come I never heard about this?" Tommy asked, giving Kimberly and Billy each a grin. Kimberly smiled back sweetly.

"Trust me, it's not a day I like reliving," she told him. "Billy, do you still have the device? Could we use it to switch them back?"

"Unfortunately not," Billy stated. "Even if I did, I don't think it'll work. The device caused our switch. One of the monster's spells caused theirs."

 _ **The only way to reverse the spell is to destroy Mind Changer's mirror. Doing so will correct the minds of all of his victims.**_

"Zordon, other than the mind switch, are Adam and Kira alright?" Aisha asked.

"Scans indicate both rangers are perfectly fine. All vital reports check out," Alpha told them.

"We're just mentally scarred for life," Kira muttered. Adam nodded agreement.

The eleven rangers looked from them back to the viewing globe, observing the scene in the park. Mind Changer was spreading chaos, sending beam after beam at unsuspecting individuals. Everywhere, a calm evening was giving way to panic.

"Alright you guys," Tommy stated, nodding. "Let's show this thing he can't mess with the Power Rangers and get away with it."

"Right," his team responded, including Adam, although Kira's voice mingling with the group was weird.

"Dr. O," Connor stated, turning to the older version of Tommy. "Zedd and Rita already know about Ethan."

"And they messed with Kira," Trent added in, both looking at him with questioning looks.

"I was not going to suggest you sit this one out," Dr. Oliver replied grinning. "Our showing up in battle can't do any more damage than this," he indicated Kira and Adam, "has already done." Connor and Trent grinned, high fiving. Ethan and Kira were grinning as well. Dr. Oliver turned to Tommy, and held out his hand to shake. "Eleven rangers are better than six, you agree?"

"Completely," Tommy stated, nodding and taking his older selves out stretched hand. He then turned to his team. "You ready?" They all nodded. Tommy looked at Connor who nodded as well. Both team leaders shouted their respective groups morphing calls at the same time.

"It's Morphin time!"

"Dino Thunder, Power Up!"

The Command Center was full of shouts, and suddenly the Command Center was filled with nine morphed rangers and two unmorphed ones.

"Um… you guys are going to have to morph according to your body, not your mind," Billy told them, laughing when they all realized that Kira and Adam had both called out and hadn't morphed. Both teenagers blushed and looked at each other, unsure of exactly what to do.

"Uh… how do I?" Adam asked Kira. She gave him a smile.

"Flick your left wrist," she instructed him. Adam did so and the silver bracelet with the yellow gem transformed into a morpher. Kira took his wrist and held it up. "Call out 'Dino Thunder, Power Up' and press this button," she told him. Adam nodded, and stepped back away from her before doing what she told him. A moment later, he felt an unfamiliar power radiated from his body. He peered down at himself from behind the familiar tint of a ranger helmet.

"I have a skirt," he groaned, causing everyone to laugh at him. He sighed and looked over at his own body. "Alright, Kira, your turn," he stated, stepping over to her. He handed over the morpher that he'd grabbed when his actual team had started to morph. Kira took it and looked up at Adam.

"Now what?"

"Hold it behind your back, then swing it out like this," he told her, demonstrating the movement of his arms. Kira practiced once, getting a nod from Adam when she did it right. "Since the morph is done, you're going to have call out 'It's morphin time', then 'Black Ranger Power'. Got it?"

"Yep," Kira replied with a grin. Adam stepped away from her again, and watched her go through the morph. It was slightly unsettling watching it happen. He'd seen the others morph before, but he'd never seen the black ranger suit appear.

"Ay yi yi yi yi," Alpha's voice grabbed the attention of all eleven rangers. "Mind Changer is leaving the park."

 _ **Rangers! You must go now and stop Mind Changer before he can do anymore damage.**_

"Right," all eleven stated, and a moment later they teleported out of the Command Center.

The six angel grove rangers (which included Kira at the moment) landed behind the monster, each taking a fighting stance as they landed. "Hey reflection face, where do you think you're going?" Tommy shouted out to the thing. It whirled around to face them.

"Rangers!" It laughed. "Did you get my present today?"

"Oh we got it alright," Rocky told it. "It wasn't very amusing." Adam was his best friend, and now that he thought about everything that had happened, he was quite pissed off.

"Yeah, switch them back," Kimberly shouted.

"I don't think I will," the creature replied, with a giggle in its voice. It bounced around happily and seemed to be studying the sun.

"Don't let its beam hit you," Kira told the rest of the group, just as sunlight hit the mirror and bounced off, aiming toward the rangers. The group split in half and rolled out of the way to safety.

"Leave them alone," came a shout from the other side of Mind Changer. The alien creature whirled back around to face five more rangers. Three of them stood in the center with Thundermax Sabers drawn and in blaster mode. Connor looked to Ethan and Adam on either side of him, and gave them a nod. "Now!"

The three dino thunder rangers fired their weapons directly at Mind Changer who stumbled backwards, away from the blast that had resulted in a series of sparks and a lot of smoke. However, aside from the stumble, when the smoke cleared, the creature was still standing, and there wasn't even a scratch on him.

"It didn't even touch him," Ethan growled, as Dr. Oliver and Trent stepped up beside the other three. The angel grove rangers ran from the other side of the creature to join them. "It doesn't make any sense."

"He's stronger than he looks," Tommy replied.

"Great," Dr. Oliver added in, and all the others knew he was rolling his eyes, sarcasm dripping in his voice.

"We can take him though; he can't beat all of us," Tommy stated. For Connor's team it was very odd to hear such positive remarks from whom they knew to be their teachers past. But for Rocky's friends, the sarcastic older Tommy was one disconcerted them. It was extremely hard to believe that both individuals were in actuality the same person.

"I'm out numbered!" The creature interrupted the rangers' communication with one another. It spread its arms wide, and in a flash was surrounded by tengas. "Now it's a fair fight."

"How are twenty five tengas and one demented mirror a fair fight against eleven rangers?" Aisha asked, as the group of eleven instantly broke apart, each taking on a few of the nearest evil minions.

"It's called bad guy math," Trent replied from a few feet away from her as he delivered a punch straight into the beak of a waiting tenga.

"Never heard of it," Billy laughed in response as he back flipped over a tenga's head.

"Multiply by two and carry the one," Kira replied, finding herself surrounded by a group of tengas. "Damn it, I miss my ptera scream," she muttered, instead using a sweeping kick low to the ground to bring down a few of the bird like creatures.

"Come get me you big bird wanna bes," Connor taunted a group of tengas. Three of them rushed at him – one from each side and one in front of him. Connor dashed out of the way at the last moment, allowing all three to collide with one another. He laughed as he watched them go down, before running to Kimberly's side where two tengas had her arms trapped. "Need some help?"

"The thought did cross my mind," she told him. Connor punched the nearest tenga in the face. It freed Kim's arm which she used to deliver her own punch to the remaining tenga. "Thanks," she told Connor with a nod.

"No problem," the dino thunder red ranger replied back. He looked over his shoulder watching Ethan take blow after blow from the tengas. Each time they struck him, they danced around shaking their wings in pain. "How you holding up Ethan?"

Ethan shrugged. "Stupid things are doing all the work for me," he called back. He kicked one tenga in the chest, sending it colliding with two more behind it in a domino effect.

Connor nodded, seeing that his teammate was doing fine on his own, and dashed off to lend Aisha some assistance who was also being surrounded by tengas. On the opposite side, Adam and Kira found themselves together, both using kicks and punches to fend off the tengas who were closing in a circle around them. "This is bad," Adam stated, positioning himself out of habit in front of the female ranger, despite the fact that Kira occupying his body meant she was currently taller than him. Kira rolled her eyes slightly. She never let Connor, Ethan, or Trent protect her that way, although she did find it a little sweet that all four of the angel grove guys often instinctively protected Kim and Aisha.

"You're going to need to use my ptera scream," Kira told him.

"What?"

"Concentrate on your vocal chords and scream, directly at them," she added, pointing at the birds. They'd backed her and Adam up against a rock wall, cutting off any escape.

"Alright, here goes," Adam stated. Adam opened his mouth and screamed as loud as he could, the blast knocking back the tengas who'd cornered them. "Yes!" Adam cheered. "That was awesome! Kira?" he asked, realizing the girl was staggering a bit, clutching her head. "Kira, you alright?" he asked, steadying her with his hands on her shoulders.

Kira nodded in response. "Never had to cover my ears before," she stated, allowing Adam to help steady her. "Didn't realized how loud that is," she added, with a bit of laughter to her statement. Adam snorted a laugh in response.

While Connor, Trent, Ethan, Kira, Adam, Aisha, Billy, and Kim had all been taking on the tengas, Dr. Oliver, Tommy, and Rocky had turned their attention towards Mind Changer. The three rangers circled him, all three with personal weapons drawn. Tommy held Saba, Rocky the power sword, and Dr. Oliver clutched his brachio staff.

"Give it up now Mind Changer, you'll never win against all of us," Tommy told the creature, who looked from the white to the black to the red ranger surrounding him.

"Didn't your masters ever tell you not to mess with the Power Rangers," Rocky stated. Dr. Oliver didn't join in on the monster bashing.

"They didn't tell me there would be this many to play with," The Mind Changer replied with a sadistic laugh. It slashed at them with its long arms. All three rangers immediately leapt towards it, striking the mirror in the center as hard as they could with each of their weapons while dodging its blows and kicks. More sparks; more smoke; but just as with the dino thunder rangers' Thundermax sabers, they couldn't even dent the creature.

"You all think you're so smart. All of one mind to defeat me," Mind Changer called out, realizing that with Adam's scream, the last of the tengas had been destroyed. The rest of the rangers regrouped behind Dr. Oliver, Tommy, and Rocky, fanning out to either side, with Tommy and Dr. Oliver acting as the point of the triangle.

"It's called working together," Tommy retorted. "Something your masters don't seem to understand."

"But what if you changed your mind?" Mind Changer taunted. "What if you didn't want to work together."

"Guys," Adam shouted. "Don't let him hit you with the light," he added, realizing what the creature was getting at. Mind Changer laughed, directing the suns' beam directly at the rangers. All eleven leapt into the air to avoid the light. Several rolled to safety, while several others were struck by the beam.

"Is everyone alright?" Connor shouted, as the smoke around them began to clear. He had jumped to the right of the monster to avoid the blast. He took a quick inventory of the group. To his right, in a crouched position that followed a roll was Ethan. Adam was in a similar position on his left. On the other side of the monster Connor saw Dr. Oliver helping Kira to her feet, while Billy pushed himself to a standing position as well. In the center, however, in front of the monster, Tommy, Rocky, Kimberly, Trent, and Aisha were struggling to their feet on the ground, groaning slightly.

The six unharmed rangers ran to them. Connor leaned down to help Rocky up, only for the other red ranger to yank his arm away. Connor could sense the angry glare he was receiving from inside the ranger helmet. "Get off of me, will you," Rocky growled.

"Leave us alone," Trent hissed at Kira, pulling away from her.

"What are we doing here?" Tommy asked, anger clear in his voice.

"Good question," Kimberly added in, once all eleven were standing. The five who'd been hit by the blast stood in a circle, backs to one another, surrounded by the six who hadn't been struck.

"Power down," Tommy shouted, and he, Rocky, Kim, Aisha, and Trent all demorphed, glaring at the six rangers around them. They then turned their glares on each other.

"This is stupid," Aisha stated, glaring at Kim in disgust. "I don't want to work with you," she stated.

"Couldn't agree more," Kimberly stated. "I'm out of here."

"Me too," Rocky agreed, as the two of them pushed their way through the circle of still morphed rangers who were too stunned by what was happening to stop them. The other three unmorphed rangers followed them. All five tossed insults back and forth between them as they walked away.

"What just happened?" Ethan asked, turning to watch the rangers walk away. Behind him, he could still hear the Mind Changer creature laughing in triumph.

"Mind Changer made it so they don't want to work together anymore," Dr. Oliver replied, he too was staring after the rangers, his eyes locked on himself.

"This is bad," Connor muttered.

"You think?" Adam asked him.

"There's only one way to fix this," Billy said, turning his attention away from his friends and back to the monster. "We have to destroy that thing," he was pointing directly at the mirror.

"Let me try," Dr. Oliver stated, pulling his brachio staff out in front of him, as he stepped slightly closer to the monster. The others instinctively stepped back. "Brachio Staff! Energy Orb! Now!" he shouted, sweeping the black weapon around in complete circle. The circle filled with a bright white light around Dr. Oliver, who then directed the staff in a pointing motion in front of him. The circle became spherical and glowed orange, blasting forward and striking Mind Changer head on. The creature didn't have time to dodge as the orb engulfed him, electricity sparking, and then exploded.

"No freaking way," Connor stated slowly, stepping up beside Dr. Oliver. Inside his helmet, his mouth was hanging wide open. "There is no way that thing survived that," he added, not believing what he was seeing. Mind Changer staggered back to his feet, as Kira, Adam, Ethan, and Billy joined the red and black dino thunder rangers in front of it, staring in shock. In front of them they could heard the creature laughing, while behind them, all they heard were the angry shouts of the arguing rangers.

* * *

So this chapter was one big long scene. Hope you enjoyed.

Reviews are always welcome,

Fateless


	26. Chapter 26

25 chapters and 100 reviews. Not bad. And, I'm posting because I'm already halfway through the writing of chapter 29.

One last note - I've been rewatching the series on Netflix since the writing began. Chapters 25-29 were written between watching portions of "A different shade of pink". Which unfortunately put me in an irritated frame of mind. I like Kat as a ranger (independent on her own). However, her replacing Kim in all aspects of life, irks me. So there's a bit of a sad feeling to the next few chapters (not helped by the circumstances the rangers find themselves in either). So yeah, I apologize if it feels a little gloomy.

Oh well, hope you enjoy.

Fateless

* * *

"Can nothing bring this thing down?" Ethan groaned, beginning to lose hope. "Dr. O's energy orb didn't even dent him."

"And we're down to six rangers," Kira added in, looking back over her shoulder. The other five rangers hadn't left the park, and were actually standing quite a distance away, arguing with each other.

"At this rate they, and we," Adam stated, indicating himself and Kira, "are going to be stuck like this forever."

Mind Changer was happily moving away from the rangers, resuming his course for the city of Angel Grove. Merriment and maniacal laughter were all they could hear from him.

Dr. Oliver sighed, casting a look at the five rangers with him, and then at the five on the other end of the park. He watched Kimberly shove Tommy, and then walk past him. His younger self didn't even look at her, let alone go chasing after her like he should have done. He turned back to the rangers still with him, and sighed again. Without Tommy there, Adam and Billy were quickly loosing hope. Kira couldn't break her eyes away from Trent, and Connor and Ethan both looked dejected.

"Guys," he stated, realizing there wasn't nothing else for it but to give the pep talk he would have gladly let Tommy make in his place. "We can't give up. They," he said, pointing at the arguing rangers, "need us. Kira and Adam, need us to fix this," he added. "There is always a way! There is always hope! We've just got to believe that together we can do this." Despite the fact that he did mean every word, he felt slightly embarrassed about having said so out loud.

Connor, Kira, and Ethan all started at him for a moment as if not quite believing the words that he'd spoken. Dr. Oliver wasn't known for giving them pep talks when the battle seemed hopeless. Connor was the first to snap out of it. "Dr. O's right," Connor stated, looking over at the five unmorphed rangers and then at Kira and Adam. "Mind Changer thrives on discord and chaos," he told his friends. "He functions best when we don't work together. As long as we operate as one mind, he can't win."

"Z-rex blaster?" Ethan asked, realizing what Connor was suggesting.

"Rangers acting as one," Kira agreed, with a nod. "Adam, you'll need to call for the ptera grips," she told the ranger clad in yellow. He nodded and did as she suggested, while Connor and Ethan summoned the tyrrano staff and tricera shield. "Will it be strong enough without Trent's drago sword?"

"Not as strong as I'd like," Connor replied, "but our determination will make up for that. Let's bring our weapons together guys," he added in.

"You four handle this," Billy told them. "Kira and I will try and stop them from leaving the park," he added, pointing to the teenagers whose arguing seemed to be escalating. Kira nodded and together they took off running toward the five.

"Hey reflection face!" Adam called out, getting the monster to turn back around and face them.

"Z-rex blaster," all four rangers said as one, assembling the device with four out of the five dino thunder weapons.

"Ready," Dr. Oliver shouted.

"Aim," Ethan added.

"Fire!" Connor commanded. He pulled the trigger and the center of the weapon shot forth a golden blast, striking Mind Changer dead center. This time the creature roared in anger, and fell forward, its mirror center shattering into thousands of pieces, as the four rangers turned their backs in celebration, high fives and shouts between the four of them. However, their celebration didn't last long.

"I don't feel so good," Adam stated, swaying on his feet as Mind Changer hit the ground. Inside his helmet, Adam's eyes rolled back into his head and he began to collapse, Ethan catching him before he hit the ground. The blue ranger supported his body as he demorphed.

Yards away, Billy and Kira had almost reached the five wayward rangers, calling out to them. All five had looked up towards them, only to see an explosion occur behind them. As the explosion erupted, all five groaned in pain and gripped their heads, blinking. Beside him, running, Billy saw Kira stumbled and fall forward, hitting the ground. Billy stopped running and turned back, racing towards her, along with the other five rangers. She demorphed just as they reached her.

"Kira?" Tommy asked, as he and Rocky rolled her over and onto her back. Rocky helped her to sit up. Kira's eyes slowly blinked open.

"Did someone get the license plate of that bus?"

"She's alright," Trent laughed, as he and Aisha high fived each other.

"She? Who are you calling she?"

"And Adam's back," Kimberly laughed, as Tommy and Rocky helped him to stand. He was still a little wobbly on his feet as he started taking a physical inventory of himself.

"How you feeling frog boy?" Rocky asked him, hugging his best friend with one arm over the shoulders, and ruffling his hair.

"That was absolutely the strangest experience of my entire life," Adam told him with certainty. The other six rangers laughed in response to his grin.

"Everyone ok over there?" Dr. Oliver's voice reached the group from the distance. He was still morphed, as were Connor and Ethan who each stood on one side of Kira, supporting her.

"We're good," Tommy called back, as they all looked up at the four. "Mind Changer toast?"

"Burnt to a crisp," Connor called back, with a laugh as they continued walking towards the other rangers.

"Kira!" Trent called out, breaking away from the group he was with and rushing towards his teammates. Connor and Ethan stepped back as Trent reached them, allowing him to wrap his arms around her. Kira hugged him back tightly. "Are you alright?" he asked her, pulling back and searching her face. He was a little hesitant that something might have gone wrong, but Adam had seemed fine. Kira smiled and nodded. Trent laughed, and lifted her up, spinning her a bit in a way reminiscent of how Tommy had spun Kimberly on Monday night. He set her down and kissed her lips, longer than he'd done before.

"Too much PDA," Connor laughed, as Kira broke away from Trent. She hit him hard in the stomach, causing Connor to double over, despite the fact that he was still morphed. Yellow rangers could hit hard.

"Um, guys," Billy stated, as the rest of the six angel grove rangers joined the dino thunder team. "I hate to be the barer of bad news," he stated, looking over everyone's heads. Flashes of greenish blue lightning were radiating in the sky, striking the area where the dino thunder rangers and Adam had thought they'd finished off the creature.

"For once," Aisha muttered. "Can't they just go down and stay down?"

"Not their style," Dr. Oliver replied to her. He took a deep breath and looked over at his younger self. "You got this?" Tommy nodded, as his team copied his motion of throwing arms behind their backs.

"It's morphing time," he shouted. His call of 'white ranger power' was followed by the sounds of the other four unmorphed members of his team, Billy being the only one who had not powered down.

"Oh, thank god I'm black again," Adam muttered. His team and the dino thunder rangers laughed at him.

"Let's do this guys," Rocky told everyone.

Billy turned to the Dino Thunder team. "We'll see you back at the Command Center," he told them, receiving nods in response. Billy raised his wrist to his mouth and spoke into the communicator. "Zordon, teleport Dr. Oliver and his team back to the Command Center." Instantly the five rangers disappeared in streaks of grey and white light. Billy immediately joined his teammates as they reached toward the sky, summoning their zords.

"We need Ninja Zord Power Now!" All six rangers shouted as one, followed by each of their independent zord calls. Within moments the earth was shaking under the weight of the zords' arrival. As soon as they were in range, the rangers leapt up into the cockpits.

"Let's not waste any time," Tommy told his team. "Ninja MegaFalcon Zord formation now," he stated.

"Right," his five teammates stated, as they flipped switches within their respective cockpits. Each zord shifted shape, looking less like their animal spirts and more like the respective body parts of the megazord. Tommy's seat slid into the cockpit as the falcon zord completed the formation attaching to the back.

"What a shiny toy," the Mind Changer laughed at the rangers. "But mine is shinier," it added. As always, each part of the creature was back in tact following the results of Zedd and Rita's enlarging. The Mind Changer shifted its body, allowing the mirror at its center to catch the light. The sun bounced off the reflective surface and struck the megazord, knocking it backwards. Tommy immediately applied the thrusters, stabilizing the megazord.

"He'll have to do better than that," Rocky laughed as the megazord regained its footing. The rangers launched themselves toward the Mind Changer, gripping it above the area that would have been its shoulders. The two giant fighters engaged in a wrestling match, occasionally exchanging a punch or a kick that would knock the enemy away.

"I'm getting really tired of this guy," Adam growled after a few moments, flipping several switches on his consoles. He turned to Tommy. "Ready to finish this?"

"Absolutely. Time to take to the air," Tommy replied, as the rangers disengaged from the battle.

"Going somewhere power brats?" Mind Changer taunted, thinking the rangers were retreating. He watched however as the megazord leapt into the air and flipped into a horizontal position, its frontal plain pointed at the ground. The head shifted so that it was facing forward, and both the ape and wolf fists pointed straight out in front of it. Before Mind Changer could react, the megazord sped through the air towards it. The wolf zord's howl and the roar of the ape zord filled the air as both fists struck the mirror head on. Mind Changer staggered backwards losing its footing. It fell to the ground in a series of explosions and a fireworks display that would have rivaled the fourth of July. The megazord returned to a vertical position, and the rangers waited several moments to be sure the alien creation was down and staying down. When the smoke cleared, and Mind Changer did not regain its feet, they finally allowed themselves sighs of relief.

"Thank god that's over," Adam exhaled, extremely grateful that it did appear that this particular nightmare was at its end. His teammates nodded. All six disengaged the zords and teleported back to the Command Center.

"That was awesome you guys," Connor stated, as the six rangers demorphed. The dino thunder team was already back in civilian form, all standing near the viewing globe, indicating that they had been watching. Trent had Kira wrapped in his arms, refusing to release her, not that she was fighting his embrace.

"Thanks," Tommy told him, coming forward. Both team leaders gripped each other's hands in a handshake hug. "But we owe you guys our thanks," he added in. "You broke the spell."

"It was nothing," Ethan laughed.

"It was everything," Rocky told him. "We said some really horrible stuff to each other," he added in, looking down at his feet, clearly ashamed of his behavior.

"It wasn't you," Kira assured him. "It was the spell."

"Still," Kimberly muttered, clearly agreeing with Rocky. "You all saved us."

"Of course we did," Connor laughed. "You're our friends," he added, looking pointedly at Rocky. The other red ranger looked up and met his eyes. He let a hesitant smile grace his face, and nodded. Connor extended his hand to shake, and Rocky gripped it.

"What's that about?" Billy whispered to Trent, who shrugged.

"How'd you break the spell anyway? I thought our weapons weren't having any impact on him?" Tommy asked, looking at each of the dino thunder rangers.

"Someone gave us a pep talk on team work and not giving up hope," Ethan replied, with a bit of a smirk on his face. He used his eyes to direct Tommy's gaze to Dr. Oliver who was quietly leaning against a wall, arms crossed over his chest as he listened to the conversation taking place between the two groups of teenagers. Tommy followed Ethan's gaze, frowning as he realized where it led.

"You?" he asked, disbelief evident in his voice. "You gave them a talk on hope? Do you even know how to have hope?" Tommy asked, a bit of amusement in his voice.

"I can't say it came easy," Dr. Oliver replied, pushing himself off the wall and moving towards the rangers. "In fact, you're pretty much right. I don't have a lot of it anymore. But someone's been doing a really good job of reminding me how to have it," he added, giving Tommy a smile. "I hate to admit it, but you've been good for me."

"Aww," Kira interrupted, seeing the look on Tommy's face. The seriousness that hung in the air around them was getting to be a bit too much. Especially in the wake of a victory. "Dr. O's going soft on us."

"You wish," Dr. Oliver laughed, shaking his head.

"I dunno Dr. O," Connor added in. "That talk you gave us when all seemed lost was pretty peppy and sweet," he laughed, a huge smile breaking out on his face.

"It'll be hard to imagine you as the cool, calm, sarcastic black ranger when we get back," Ethan added. Dr. Oliver glared at the two of them.

"Trent?" he asked. "You still respect me, right?"

"Not sure. Sounds like you went all sappy on us," Trent told him, over Kira's shoulder.

"Wonderful," Dr. Oliver replied, he turned back to Tommy. "This is all your fault," he told the teenager, who just grinned back. Tommy wouldn't say it, but he did like the comradery he saw between his older self and the rest of the dino thunder team. He just wished he knew that Dr. Oliver had maintained the same comradery with his current team. Tommy just shrugged in response.

"So what now?" Aisha asked, still riding the high of the two teams' victories.

"Dinner?" Rocky suggested.

"Always thinking with your stomach, huh Rocky?" Dr. Oliver asked him. Rocky grinned back. "How about at the cabin?" he asked.

All of the angel grove rangers cast looks over at Tommy. They all knew he'd been striving to spend as little time with Dr. Oliver as possible. Even Dr. Oliver followed their line of sight to their leader. He raised an eyebrow at the teenage boy. Tommy let a small smile creep onto his lips and he nodded.

"Sure," he stated. "Zordon would you mind assisting with the teleport?" Zordon simply inclined his head and all eleven rangers teleported out of the Command Center.

* * *

The eleven rangers had split the tasks of cooking and then cleaning up from dinner. The group that hadn't done any of the cooking, which consisted of spaghetti and meatballs, was currently inside the cabin cleaning up. Everyone else was scattered around the grassy area between the lake and cabin, small groups breaking off and chatting about random stuff. Tommy sat on the steps of the cabin. To one side of him, he saw Billy talking with both Kira and Adam. Connor and Aisha were sitting down in the grass, closer to the lake. Aisha seemed to be trying to lean against him, but Connor shifted to make it impossible. Watching them, Tommy just shook his head, until his thoughts were interrupted.

"Can we talk?" Dr. Oliver's voice reached him. Tommy looked up, meeting his older self's gaze. He hesitated for a moment before nodding. He wanted to say no, but the man was responsible for part of the day's victory. The part that cleared his mind and saved him and the other rangers, so unfortunately, he owed him. "Walk with me?"

Tommy pushed himself to his feet and followed after Dr. Oliver who led him down a path going into the woods. For a while, neither said anything to the other. Finally, when Dr. Oliver decided that they were far enough away from the group, he stopped walking and turned to face the teenager. For the last few days he'd been doing a lot of thinking. Despite the fact that the teenage wouldn't remember any of their meeting for at least the next nine years, if at all, he felt he owed it to Tommy to tell him what he'd been thinking about. "I know you don't really like me."

Tommy didn't deny it. He didn't even look startled by the accusation. Instead he just met Dr. Oliver's gaze with a steady one of his own. "Do you really blame me?"

"Not at all," Dr. Oliver stated. "I remember being you," he said, with a sharp inhale. Two weeks later, it still wasn't a comfortable statement to make. "Difference is, I know what happens in between you and me."

"I'm not going to like a lot of it, am I?" Tommy asked him. Both individuals had started walking again. Dr. Oliver shook his head.

"It's not all bad. In fact the good far outweighs the bad. I can promise you that. You're going to have many of your friends with you for a while yet. And a few new ones as well."

"But not Kim?" Tommy asked. Dr. Oliver shook his head again, but didn't elaborate. "So what happens now?"

Dr. Oliver knew what he was asking. He stopped walking again and met his younger in the eyes. "We go home. Connor, Kira, Trent, Ethan, and I."

"When?"

"The device is nearly complete. We'll be gone by tomorrow evening," Dr. Oliver confirmed what the teenager already sensed.

"You didn't say anything at dinner," Tommy told him. "I'm sure they'd want to know."

"I'll tell them later. I wanted to tell you first," Dr. Oliver replied, "and make you a promise."

"What does it matter? Tomorrow, I won't remember this," Tommy replied, his look slightly angry.

"But I will," Dr. Oliver stated simply. Tommy sighed and nodded understanding. "I can't change what happens between our two times; but I will do what I can to change my future. A lot of damage has been done," Dr. Oliver continued. "I got hurt," he explained, "and in return I hurt a lot of people. I can't guarantee it can all be fixed. But I'm telling you that I will do what I can to bring them back into our life."

"They'll remember too. They'll want to fix it," Tommy told him.

"Maybe," Dr. Oliver sighed. "Billy, Ethan, and I worked hard on the memory device, but I don't know if it will work," he added, and then paused as if he was debating something. Then he looked at Tommy. His eyes were sad, but determined. "I added a failsafe."

"Meaning?" Tommy asked him, frowning. He didn't think he was going to like what Dr. Oliver had to say.

"If the device can't restore the memories, it's going to erase them."

"Why tell me this?" Tommy stated after he'd digested the information in silence for a few moments, struggling to keep his anger out of his voice. Despite his success, Dr. Oliver knew he was more than a little unhappy at the news. Dr. Oliver shrugged. There was no reason to tell Tommy about the failsafe. He just felt like he owed it to himself. Maybe as a reminder of his own promise.

"Memories restored or not," Dr. Oliver told him. "I'm going to find them."

"All of them?" Tommy asked him, still struggling with his anger. Dr. Oliver nodded.

"All five," he added. "And the rest. I don't know what will happen after that. But I will try and fix things. You showed me that there is nothing more important than them. I owe you for that."

"You owe it to yourself," Tommy told him.

"Exactly," Dr. Oliver laughed. Silence overtook them for a few moments. Dr. Oliver leaning against a tree, Tommy kicking at the ground, the toe of his boots creating an indent. "You ok?" Dr. Oliver asked him.

Tommy shrugged. "Don't have a choice do I?"

Dr. Oliver smirked. "Can't say you do."

"Alright then," Tommy said with a sigh. "Thanks for telling me," he added, genuinely. It was the best he could hope for. At this point he knew there was no way around traveling the path from himself to Dr. Oliver, but a promise that there might be some resolution in the future was better than nothing. And he still needed to talk to Kim. "We should get back. Some of us have curfews," he reminded his older self who laughed. Tommy did smile at that, as his older self began to lead the way back to the cabin.

* * *

"How you two holding up?" Billy asked Adam and Kira who were sitting beside each other Indian style in the grass on one side of the cabin. Neither was talking to the other. Kira was leaned back on her palms, gazing up at the sky, while Adam pulled at a few blades of grass. They didn't know what to say, but at the same time, both felt that they needed to be near the other to lend strength as they processed the events of the day. They both looked up at the sound of Billy's voice when he joined them.

"You really went through this before?" Adam asked him. Billy nodded as he settled himself on the grass beside his teammate. "With Kim?"

"Very early after we got our powers," Billy laughed. While the event wasn't his favorite thing to remember, it was funny now that he looked back on it. And if it helped Adam and Kira get over their mortification, then he could relive it for them. "We didn't tell our friends either." He looked over at Tommy, noticing Dr. Oliver emerge from the cabin and lead him away. He smirked slightly, thinking it was about time those two had a talk with one another.

"Why not?" Kira asked him.

"Embarrassed I think," Kimberly's voice reached them. She had just finished cleaning up with Rocky, Ethan, and Trent. Trent was with her as she walked over to them. "We didn't have the luxury of it being completely a monster's fault."

"If Rita wasn't responsible, who was?" Adam asked, knowing Rita was their only enemy at the time.

"Billy," Kimberly laughed. Billy shot her a look. Kim laughed as she and Trent joined the other three. Trent leaned against Kira. "Ok, and Squat and Baboo."

"So what happened?" Kira asked them.

"I tried to make a device that could read minds," Billy explained. "Squat and Baboo tampered with it. Kim had volunteered to help me test it."

"Never again by the way," Kimberly added in with a giggle. Billy sighed and nodded, understanding his friend's reservations about helping him with science projects.

"Well, when we tested it, you could say we could read each other's minds, but that was only because we were in each other's bodies. Like you two were today," Billy explained, blushing at the memory.

"How'd the others find out if you didn't tell them?" Adam asked.

"We're worse actors than you two," Kimberly laughed. "It wasn't very hard to see. They ended up guessing early on."

"Kim blew up a computer," Billy offered in. Kim stuck her tongue out at him while Kira, Adam, and Trent looked at the two of them, trying to figure out if Billy was joking.

"A computer?" Kira asked.

"Keep in mind, based on what you told us, not everyone here is as familiar with computers as people in your time," Kimberly defended herself with a nod.

"Ok, so what happened," Trent asked with a laugh, "when they found out?"

"Little bit of chaos and pandemonium," Billy told them. "The more unfortunate part was even though school was out, we had a monster to battle, as each other. It wasn't till afterwards that we were able to use the machine to switch back."

"So we spent just as long as you guys as each other," Kim finished for him. "And we survived," she added, hugging Adam around the shoulders. He blushed and nodded.

"But you didn't, you know, answer the call of nature," Kira stammered, defending why she and Adam appeared to be so dejected.

"Who said we didn't?" Kim asked, with a grin. Billy snickered. "Some things were just better left unsaid. Get over it and move on."

"We're all human," Billy added in.

"I guess you're right," Adam replied, shrugging his shoulders. "You ok with all this Kira?"

"For right now, yeah, but I'm not looking forward to facing you in the future. Right now, you're my age. It's a bit easier to live with that," Kira stated, with a smirk.

"Oh god," Adam stated, realizing that if all went according to plan he was going to forget about this day for nearly the next decade of his life, only to have it come back. "What are the odds you can erase one specific memory from our minds Billy?"

"Sorry Adam," Billy laughed. "You're going to have to live with this one."

"Wonderful," both Kira and Adam retorted. Trent wrapped his arms around Kira and kissed the top of her head.

* * *

"Hey guys," Ethan called out to Connor and Aisha as he and Rocky approached them from behind. Both rangers turned to look at them. Connor briefly thought he saw a look of annoyance on Rocky's face, but it was gone in a moment. After all, Connor had made it clear to the other red ranger that friendship was way more important to him. He just hoped Rocky would remember that later.

"All the dishes clean?" Connor asked Ethan when the two other rangers finally reached them. Ethan glared at him.

"No thanks to you," he stated.

"I helped cook," Connor laughed.

"Connor, turning the oven on to bake the breadsticks is not cooking," Aisha told him. Connor shrugged. Apparently he'd hung around the kitchen just enough that Dr. Oliver had thought he'd actually participated in the food preparation portion of the evening.

"What are you guys doing anyway?" Rocky asked. He'd positioned himself on the opposite side of Aisha, leaving Ethan to take a seat beside his best friend.

"Just talking," Aisha told him. "Connor was telling me a bit more about the future. He said Dr. Oliver and their tech Haley made them these bikes called Raptor Cycles. I wish we had something like that."

"You think it's wise telling them this stuff?" Ethan asked Connor, who shrugged.

"They won't remember once we go home anyway," Connor defended his choice.

"Wish we could keep our memories," Rocky added in, but Ethan shook his head.

"You might not like everything you've heard, but think about it; if you change anything, you might destroy the time line. We might not get to be rangers," Ethan stated.

"And it's not just us you'd be impacting. There are a bunch of other teams of rangers between us and you guys."

"Really?" Aisha asked, getting excited about that prospect. Connor and Ethan both nodded.

"Dr. Oliver did mention a mission to the moon with like nine or ten other red rangers. I thought he was exaggerating," Rocky stated.

"Nope," Connor laughed. "That happened. He told me about it."

"You didn't go?" Rocky asked him. Connor shook his head.

"Before my time dude," he laughed. "You know, thinking about time is weird now."

"How do you mean," Aisha asked him. Ethan and Rocky both looked at him waiting to see what he'd say.

"It's hard to explain. Right now, you guys are awesome. But we're exactly the same age. When we get home, you'll be Dr. O's age."

"So?" Aisha asked him.

"You don't think that's weird?" Connor asked her. Aisha smiled and shook her head.

"Of course it'll be weird. But it won't change anything," she told him.

"Aisha's right. When you get back to 2004, we'll find you. And we'll still be friends."

"Good," Connor stated. "Do me a favor Rocky, and hold onto that thought for the next nine years, ok?"

"Um… alright, sure," Rocky stated, looking at the second red clad teenager with a little bit of confusion. Connor looked back at him, and realized that Rocky had shifted his body so that he was leaning back on his arms. His right arm crisscrossed with Aisha's left arm, their shoulders touching, unconsciously.

"Hey Ethan," Connor stated. "I just remembered I have to clean the loft for Dr. O. Come help?"

"Why should I come help you clean up the mess you made?" Ethan retorted. He was quite comfortable on the ground right where he was.

"Because," Connor hesitated for a moment. "Because Dr. O told me to tell you to help," he stated, narrowing his eyes at Ethan. Ethan frowned at him, but shrugged, pushing himself to his feet.

"See you guys later," Connor stated, as Ethan started walking back to the cabin. Before Aisha and Rocky could answer, Connor took off after his own teammate.

* * *

So yeah, they're going home, soon. Time for the second portion of the story.

Hope you liked, reviews are greatly appreciated.

Fateless


	27. Chapter 27

Tommy offered to walk Kim and Aisha home that night after the rangers teleported back into Angel Grove from the cabin. When they reached Aisha's house, Tommy paused and asked Aisha if he could have a minute alone with Kim. Aisha nodded, and disappeared into the house.

"What's up?" Kim asked him. "Can't stay too long, it's almost curfew."

"I know," he told her, leading her into the middle of the lawn. He sat down and patted the spot beside him, placing his book bag on his opposite side. "But I needed to talk to you."

"You had a talk with Dr. Oliver tonight," Kim stated, as she took the seat beside him. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah," Tommy replied nodding his head. He sat with his knees up, feet planted on the ground. Kim sat legs crossed beside him, her body twisted so she could see his face. "He made a promise."

"Really?" Kim asked, raising her eyebrows. "About?"

"Our future," Tommy stated, seeing her frown. "His and mine, I mean. Well, and maybe yours too, I guess. He said he's going to fix things."

"Do you believe him?" Kim asked, laying her head on Tommy's shoulder.

"He's got no reason to lie. He'd just be lying to himself," Tommy told her.

"Why'd he make you this promise all of a sudden?" Kim asked,.

"It's not sudden," Tommy replied. "They're leaving tomorrow," he stated simply. Kim lifted her head to stare at him. Sure, she always knew the dino thunder team would be leaving, eventually. That was what Dr. Oliver, Ethan, and Billy had been trying so hard to achieve for the last two weeks. But aside from Dr. Oliver, the rest of the team had become part of their family. The fact that they were leaving was hard to grasp. And of course there was the fact that her and the others memories were going to be locked away when they left. "My feelings exactly," Tommy chuckled slightly at her face.

"So that's it then?" Kim asked. "They leave, we forget, and you and I break up, and probably never see each other again." Tears started to well up in her eyes.

"He said he was going to fix things," Tommy told her, but he didn't sound confident. Somehow when Dr. Oliver was telling him that he would do everything in his power, Tommy had figured out what he meant. Dr. Oliver wasn't confident in his own ability to restore all of his relationships. And in his heart, Tommy knew that it was the one with Kim that Dr. Oliver had the least amount of hope in restoring. "But I can't leave it all to him."

"Your idea?" Kimberly asked. Tommy nodded. He turned to his book bag and rummaged through it, pulling out a plain white sealed envelope addressed to Kimberly Hart in Tommy's handwriting. "What's this?" Kim asked, taking it from him, she went to open it.

"Don't," he told her, placing his hands on top of hers. "It's not for you, yet. Not until after, well, you know." Kim nodded, understanding exactly what 'you know' was.

"What is it?"

"A message. One that I hope will help fix things. Maybe sooner rather than later. You need to put it somewhere safe. Somewhere where it won't get lost forever. Somewhere where it has a chance of being found in a few years maybe."

Kim bit her lip, studying the envelope in hands. She took a deep breath as she thought and looked up back up at Tommy after a few moments, nodding. "I have an idea."

"You do?"

"A photo album," she said with a smile. "I flip through pictures from elementary school all the time. And my baby pictures that mom took," she added. "I love looking through the past. I'm sure that won't change. I'll put this in an album, and in a few years, I'll find it. I'm sure of it."

"Good," Tommy told her with a smile.

"Kim?" Aisha stuck her head out of the door. "Mom and dad said it's time to come in."

"Coming Aisha," Kim called back, before turning back to Tommy. Both of them stood up. "Gotta go," she told him with a smile. Tommy shifted his book bag onto his shoulder and stepped closer to her, planting a kiss on her lips. His eyes were sad when he pulled away. It was as if the dino thunder teams approaching departure was the beginning of the end, at least in his mind.

"Night beautiful, sleep well."

"You too handsome," Kimberly told him, smiling, and clutching the letter in her hands. She knew he wouldn't leave until she left, so she turned her back and headed inside where Aisha was waiting on her.

"What's that?" Aisha asked with a suspicious smile on her lips. Kimberly laughed and shook her head. "Love note from Tommy?"

"Maybe," Kimberly giggled, purposely misleading her friend, as both girls climbed the stairs to their bedrooms.

"What did Tommy want to talk to you about?" Aisha asked.

Kim sighed. She knew she had to tell Aisha something, but she couldn't let her friend know everything. If Aisha found out what Tommy and Kim were planning, she'd possibly tell Adam and Rocky, and even Billy. They'd try to talk them out of it. Well, Billy definitely would.

"Dino thunder will be leaving tomorrow," Kim told her as Aisha followed her into the room she was staying in.

"Really?" Aisha stated, looking a little sad. "They've finished the device?" she watched Kim dig through her closet, pulling out a photo album. The pink clad girl flipped through some of the pages before putting the envelope inside behind a photo of her and Tommy. She then shut the book. "Not going to read it."

"He said it's a surprise," Kimberly replied simply, "for later. But yeah, Tommy said Dr. Oliver told him when they went off on their walk after dinner. Promised he was going to fix things."

"Well, he won't have to fix them on his own. I mean, it's a two way street. Dr. Oliver may have lost contact with all of us," Aisha told her, hugging her friend around the shoulder, "but we'd have to have let him in order for that to have happened."

"I guess so," Kimberly agreed.

"I bet Connor and the others are excited though. They've been far from home for a while."

"You think they'll miss us at all?" Kimberly asked her, hugging her back.

"They won't have time," Aisha laughed. "It's going to be years for us, but barely any time for them. They'll just have to wait however long it takes us to travel from wherever we are to Reefside."

"You gonna beat me there 'sha?" Kim asked as the girls broke their hug.

"Oh honey, I'm gonna beat all of you," she laughed, heading back to the bedroom door. "We'll tell the others about dino thunder tomorrow," she added, stopping in the door frame. Kim gave her a single nod. "Night Kim."

"Night Aisha," Kimberly replied, closing the door behind her friend.

* * *

"Alright Dr. O," Connor asked that morning at breakfast, "what's the deal?"

"What are you talking about?" Dr. Oliver asked him. He was sitting at the table with the four teenagers, drinking a cup of coffee. It was already nine in the morning.

"You let us sleep in," Kira continued for her leader. "Well, relatively," she added. The four teenagers were still in their pjs. Dr. Oliver however was dressed in the clothing he'd been wearing when they arrived in Angel Grove. "What gives?"

"Oh," Dr. Oliver said with a smirk, setting his mug down. "Did I forget to tell you? We're going home today."

"What?" Connor asked, jumping out of his seat. He made a few cheering motions in the air.

"Home?" Kira stated.

"As in 2004?" Trent put in. Ethan just grinned. He knew they were close to being finished.

"I told Billy I'd have Zordon teleport me to the Command Center a bit later in the morning so he could go straight to school," Dr. Oliver stated with a nod.

"Do they know?" Trent asked, unable to keep the grin off his face. All four teenagers wore pleased expressions. Dr. Oliver couldn't help but smile as well, despite that he was scared shitless about what would happen when he did get home.

"I told Tommy last night," Dr. Oliver said with a nod. "So safe guess is yes."

"Can't keep a secret Dr. O?" Ethan laughed.

"Not from Kim," Dr. Oliver confirmed. "And Kim can't keep one at all."

"So when do we leave?" Kira asked him. Dr. Oliver stretched and stood up, bringing his mug to the sink.

"After the rangers get out of school," he told her. "They have to be there to lock their memories away, remember."

"And we can't leave without saying goodbye," Connor stated, with a grin.

"It won't really be goodbye, though, will it?" Ethan told him. "We'll see them again soon."

"Will it really be them?" Trent asked. "I mean, people change in ten years," he added, looking at their science teacher.

"It's only been nine," Dr. Oliver growled at him, but the smile didn't leave his face. Trent shrugged. "It'll be them, at least to you guys. So, you've got some work to do today," he told the four of them.

"Anything," Connor told him. Apparently he was too excited to realize that Dr. Oliver said he'd be doing work.

"That's strange," Dr. Oliver laughed. "I could have sworn Connor's been here with me for the last two weeks. Who are you again?"

"Very funny," Connor stated, glaring at him. The effect was lost however, as Connor was unable to keep the grin off his face. He was going home. He was going to see his family. He was going to have his cell phone again.

"What do you need Dr. O?" Trent asked him.

"We need to get rid of all traces of us," Dr. Oliver told him. "This place needs to be spotless, and you need to bring all the clothing we bought back to the thrift shop. Then meet the rangers at the youth center after school. I'll contact you around three thirty."

"No problem," Kira told him, although the boys groaned a bit at the idea of spending the day cleaning.

"Good," Dr. Oliver told them, nodding. "My stuff's on the bed in there," he added, pointing to the room and glancing at the clock on the wall. He nodded to the teenagers, and left. A moment later, the teenagers heard the sound of teleporting outside the cabin.

* * *

Dr. Oliver finished the final test on the time device around lunch time. He sighed and looked up from his work, stretching.

"How is it going Dr. Oliver?" Alpha asked him, walking over. Dr. Oliver looked at him and smiled. Two weeks before he thought he'd never see the little robot or Zordon again. He'd accepted that fact. And then he was standing in front of them again. It made saying goodbye even harder. He knew he could track down everyone else, but after today, unless something psychotic happened, it would be the last time he truly would see Zordon and Alpha 5.

"It's done Alpha. All that's left is for the rangers to get out of school."

"Ay yi yi yi… I'm going to miss you," Alpha told him, distress in his voice. He spazed out slightly. Dr. Oliver laughed at him a bit, giving him a sad smile.

"I'm going to miss you too, Alpha. But you'll still have me. I've just got long hair right now," he added to the robot.

 _ **Are your young rangers ready to go home, Dr. Oliver?**_ Zordon asked him. Dr. Oliver shifted his attention to his former mentor, and nodded.

"They're thrilled," Dr. Oliver confirmed.

 _ **But you aren't?**_

Dr. Oliver smirked. Of course Zordon knew exactly how he was feeling. He thought he'd gotten better about not wearing his emotions on his sleeve, but around Zordon he felt like the long haired teenager incapable of hiding anything. He shook his head no.

"I've done things they have no reason to forgive me for," Dr. Oliver told Zordon. "I promised Tommy I'd try to fix things," he added. "But I have no reason to believe they'll let me."

 _ **They are your friends. Give them more credit.**_

"I suppose," Dr. Oliver conceded. He looked up at Zordon and sighed.

 _ **Something else is bothering you?**_

Dr. Oliver laughed, shaking his head. He laughed to keep his voice from cracking. When he looked back at Zordon, he had a tear in his eye. He didn't even bother trying to hide it. When Zordon and Alpha left for Eltar right after they'd gotten their turbo powers he'd been sad. But he'd held at hope that he'd see his mentor and friend again. He was right. He'd gotten to briefly see his old friends when they transferred their powers to TJ and the others. And he hadn't thought that that would be his last chance. Unfortunately, before their paths had crossed again, Zordon had made the ultimate sacrifice.

"I…" Dr. Oliver began. However, before he could continue, Zordon cut him off.

 _ **You mean a lot to me as well, Tommy.**_

Through those words, Dr. Oliver knew that Zordon knew exactly what he'd wanted to say. He knew that Zordon was aware of his own future. How, he didn't know. But he let the tear fall as he nodded, and smiled up at his mentor.

"Do you mind if I go for a walk?" Dr. Oliver asked him. Zordon inclined his head, and Dr. Oliver let himself out of the Command Center the manual way.

* * *

"They're here," Connor told his team, nodding towards the archway that marked the entrance to the youth center. Six teenagers stood, all looking fairly dejected. The one in white stood at the center in the lead, his hair loose around his shoulders. Connor's teammates looked up and followed his line of sight. They all tried to give the group of six smiles of greetings when they saw them. The six returned their smiles, halfheartedly.

"Well, that answers that question," Kira muttered to Trent, who nodded as Tommy led his team to their table. The six didn't sit down. They knew they wouldn't be there long. "Hey," she said softly to Kim, standing up and wrapping her arms around her new friend.

"Hey," Kim muttered back, a slight grin, despite the fact that she had a few tears in her eyes.

"Don't cry," Kira giggled, wiping them away, and hugging her tighter. "It's not goodbye."

"Not for long," Connor stated, agreeing with his teammate. He, Ethan, and Trent had gotten to their feet as well.

"You guys want to go to the park? We still have a little before Dr. O contacts," Trent asked the group. Everyone nodded, and the ten teenagers left the youth center together for the last time, Kira linked arm in arm with Kim and Aisha.

They all walked in silence to the park. No one felt like saying anything. They stopped at a picnic table near the basketball courts. Rocky picked up a ball that had been discarded. "Wanna play?" he asked. Anything to avoid talking about what was to come that afternoon. Trent and Connor both smirked, following Rocky out to the court. Tommy joined them.

"Built in teams," Billy commented, sitting down on the bench and leaning backwards. Kimberly and Aisha hopped up on either side of him, sitting on the table. Adam, Kira, and Ethan sat down at the table on the other side. "Red on White," he added in.

"Won't be doing that for much longer," Aisha stated, leaning forward on her elbows perched on her knees. "I know you guys have to go," she said, not looking back at the other two dino thunder teenagers, "but I don't want you to."

"It'll be longer for you than it is for us," Ethan told her. "We understand."

"You still going to want to hang out with us when we're old?" Adam asked them, watching the four out on the basketball court.

"You still going to want to hang out with us when we're just high school kids?" Kira laughed at him. She leaned against his shoulder slightly the way she would with Ethan and Connor. Adam grinned back at her. Their body swapping adventure the day before was a bonding experience.

"Absolutely," Kimberly stated.

"Affirmative," Billy put in.

The six sat quietly watching the other four play until computerized sounds emanated from Connor, Trent, Kira, and Ethan's wrists. The boys playing ball didn't hear, but their teammates did. Ethan walked around the table to get his friends, while Kira accepted the connection.

"You ready for us Dr. O?" Kira asked.

"Whenever you are," Dr. Oliver's voice came back through.

"Be there soon," Kira stated with a nod. Aisha, Billy, Kim, and Adam were standing around the table when she looked back up from her wrist. She gave them a weak smile which they all returned. She looked up to see Ethan leading the other four back over. "It's time," she told them. Tommy and Rocky nodded. No one said anything else as they teleported to the Command Center.

Dr. Oliver was waiting on them when they got there. Both devices were complete and set up near the viewing globe, along with six chairs. Everyone except Billy and Ethan frowned when they saw the recliners, but no one said anything.

 _ **Are you ready rangers?**_ Zordon asked them all, except Dr. Oliver. He already knew the answer to that one. The dino thunder teenagers nodded, large, but slightly sad smiles on their faces. The other six rangers nodded.

"It's not going to hurt is it?" Kimberly asked. Billy shook his head no.

"What do we do?" Tommy asked, eyeing the recliners. He looked back up at Dr. Oliver.

"We all need to touch the device at the same time, but on opposite sides. The panels on your side will trigger the memory lock, based on the signatures from us on the other," he explained, holding up the memory lock device. "And it's going to knock you guys out."

"Wait what?" Rocky asked, not liking the sound of that.

"Not for long," Billy assured him. "We'll just go to sleep while the chemicals lock down our memories. It'll prevent us from re-seeing the dino thunder team."

"Alpha will then use the time ray to open a portal to our own time. He and Zordon will destroy both devices once we're gone," Ethan explained. "We've set the time coordinates for the same time it was when we left home."

"But how will you explain us being here?" Adam asked.

"The memory device will compensate. Each time we try to access something from this time, it'll replace it with something plausible," Billy explained. "I expect that if we find ourselves waking from an unconscious state, we'll believe it was the result of difficult battle."

"That makes sense, I guess," Aisha confirmed. She bit her lip and looked at her teammates, before sighing and stepping toward the dino thunder team. "We'll see you soon," she told Connor, wrapping her arms around him. She stood on her tippy toes and reached up to kiss him lightly on the cheek.

Connor laughed hesitantly, and blushed, stepping back, his eyes on Rocky. Rocky just sighed, and shook his head, and walked forward to shake hands with Connor as well.

"Absolutely," Kira told her, hugging Adam. Kim gave Trent a hug, while Ethan and Billy shook hands. "We'll be expecting you within the hour," Kira added in.

"Thirty minutes," Rocky told her. "Tops." The four dino thunder teens, and five of the six Angel Grove rangers rotated between each other, exchanging hugs and handshakes.

"What about me?" Tommy pouted. Connor stepped up in front of the other the other ranger leader. He gave him a half smile and held out his hand.

"Thank you," he told him, aware that everyone was watching them. "For showing us another side of him," he added, using his thumb to point over his shoulder at Dr. Oliver. Dr. Oliver glared at him. Kira walked up to the two of them, followed by Ethan and Trent.

"And for renewing his ability to hope," Kira told Tommy, reaching up and hugging him, she let her mouth get close to his ear. "You're going to be great. Try not to forget that," she whispered. Trent and Ethan each jumped in to shake his hand, not giving the younger version of their teacher the opportunity to reply as Kira stepped back, putting distance between them.

"Ready guys?" Dr. Oliver interrupted the goodbye. He had mixed emotions. He was anxious to get back to his own time, and he was looking forward to finding his friends. But he still wasn't sure of how they'd react, especially if they did have all their memories. He wasn't sure if that would help or hurt his cause.

His team nodded and Alpha carried the memory device to the center of the room. The eleven rangers took places around it. Dr. Oliver stood directly opposite Tommy. To his left was Ethan and then Connor. On his right was Kira and then Trent. Kimberly stood on Tommy's left, with Billy to her left, and Adam to his. Rocky stood on Tommy's right, while Aisha closed the circle between Rocky and Connor. Each ranger extended their right hand towards the device, nervous smiles all around.

"Catch you on the flip side," Kim told the dino thunder team, with a grin, just as all eleven hands touched the device.

Each ranger felt a tingling sensation run through their arm. For a few moments no one could pull their hands off the sphere at the center of the device, which glowed a brilliant white. Red light edged each ranger's hand where it touched. The five dino thunder rangers watched as the six angel grove rangers slowly closed their eyes. The light from the orb went out slowly, as the six rangers' knees buckled, dropping them to the floor of the Command Center.

"Help me get them to the chairs, quickly," Dr. Oliver immediately told his team as Alpha carried the memory device away. Kira held the recliners still while Trent, Connor, and Ethan helped Dr. Oliver move the six into them.

"How long will it last?" she asked.

"I'm not one hundred percent sure of that," Dr. Oliver stated. "We erred on the side of caution and gave them a large dose of the sleeping gas, so they may be out a while, but I don't want to chance it," he replied, as he and Trent shifted Rocky's body into one of the chairs. As soon as all six were resting comfortably, he turned to Zordon.

"We're ready Zordon."

Zordon nodded, a smile on his face. Alpha stepped up to the time device and pulled the trigger. A swirling portal that resembled an invisiportal opened behind the dino thunder teens.

"Good bye Zordon. Thank you for everything," Connor told the intergalactic being. His teammates each nodded. Connor looked at Dr. Oliver, who nodded to him.

"Go. I'm right behind you."

 _ **May the power protect you rangers,**_ Zordon told them. The four teenagers nodded once more, and stepped through the portal. Dr. Oliver watched them go, then cast a look at his unconscious friends, before turning back to Alpha and Zordon.

"Thank you for everything Zordon," he told his mentor, a smile on his face. "Goodbye," he added, every emotion in his body evident in that one last word. He turned away immediately and stepped through the portal, feeling it close behind him as Alpha once again pulled the trigger.

"Dr. O?" Connor asked as he saw his teacher step through the portal. None of the others were looked at him. Instead they were searching the area around them. Everywhere they turned there were charred remains of walls and what appeared to have once been electronic consoles surrounded them. The place seemed to have once been a room, but its ceiling was missing and the teenagers could see clear blue sky above them. "This isn't Reefside?" he asked.

"Nope," Tommy confirmed, frowning and looking around. He sighed. "I was afraid this might happen," he added calmly.

"Dr. O," Kira stated. "Is this the Command Center?"

"Yep," Tommy said, walking towards what he knew to be the exit.

"But how?" Ethan asked, turning and looking at him, a horrified look on his face. When he realized that Tommy was moving, he and his teammates raced after him. Kira, Connor, and Trent matched the expression he wore. "There was nothing in those devices that should have exploded."

"How can you be so calm about this?" Connor shouted at him, as Tommy led the four teenagers out into the sun shine. He was moving nearly as quickly as he had when he'd led them on a trek through the woods to the cabin two weeks before.

"I never said anything exploded," Tommy told them, not slowing his pace. He wanted to put as much distance between himself and the Command Center as possible. Seeing it was causing a giant hole in his heart to reopen.

"Hold up," Trent stated, and he stopped moving. Kira, Ethan, and Connor copied him. Tommy, not hearing their footsteps anymore sighed and turned around facing them. "If nothing exploded, please explain that," Trent finished, pointing back at the charred remains of the building.

"The Command Center was destroyed when the other rangers and I lost our ninja powers. It's been like that for about eight years or so now. We're back in 2004. Just 2004 Angel Grove," Tommy explained. "I wasn't sure if we'd be able to get time ray to change our physical position in the universe. Still not sure how Chronosaurus pulled that one off."

"So we're home?" Kira asked.

"In terms of time," Tommy nodded, pulling his eyes away from the haunting remains, "yes."

"So then do you," Connor began, only to be cut off from asking his question by the sound of their communicators going off. All five rangers looked at each other frowning, before Tommy nodded to Connor. The official team leader lifted his wrist to his mouth.

"Um… come in?" he spoke, confused and slightly nervous.

"Connor! Where the hell have you been?"

"Haley," all four teenager laughed. Tommy sighed in relief.

"Of course it's me. I repeat, where are you? I've been trying to reach you for two hours! All I've been getting is static."

"Haley," Tommy said into Connor's communicator. "What time is it?"

"Just after one o'clock in the afternoon," Haley told him, unsure . "Last I heard from you guys Connor, Trent, and Ethan didn't know where they were. So you're all together again?"

"Yeah," Tommy replied. "One more question, then I swear we'll answer yours. What day is it?"

"Did you guys hit your heads or something? It's Saturday. I just watched your rainbow colored butts disappear from Reefside park in an explosion two hours ago."

"It worked!" Ethan shouted, jumping into the air. Trent and Connor high fived one another.

"Glad you're all happy," Haley stated, sounding highly irritated. "Well, if you wouldn't mind cutting your celebrating over the fact that it's the weekend short, the citizens of Reefside could use your help. About an hour after you disappeared, tyrranodrones and Elsa showed up. They've been terrorizing the city. You have no idea how many 'Where are the power rangers?' news stories I've seen."

"Gonna need your help with that Haley," Tommy told her, watching his teammates faces go from trilled to horrified in seconds. "We're um… kind of out of town."

"Come again."

"We're in Angel Grove."

His statement was met with silence.

* * *

And so begins the second portion of the story. Not sure how long it will be yet. There are a few events planned out in my head. Keep in mind I try to remain as realistic and detailed as possible. There will not be any cute cuddly ranger reunions immediately. Events will unfold in their own time.

Please review,

Fateless


	28. Chapter 28

They're finally home. I hope you enjoy what happens next. I will say, writing the 2004 portion is a bit more difficult than the 1995 portion.

* * *

The connection had been a span of dead air for several moments before Haley finally spoke.

"Did you just say you're in Angel Grove," she asked, complete disbelief apparent in her voice.

"Yep," Tommy told her. "Like I said, gonna need your help to get back."

"Angel Grove is like six hours away!" Haley argued.

"Seven," Tommy corrected her.

"How the hell did you get yourselves blasted to Angel Grove?"

"Long story."

"Short version," Haley demanded. Tommy could picture her on the other end of the connection glaring at him. He sighed and ran a hand over his face, in no mood to relive the last two weeks of his life. Kira, Ethan, and Trent were watching him, looks of concern on their faces. Connor looked slightly annoyed, but that was probably because Tommy had grabbed hold of his arm and was using his communicator instead of his own.

"No time," Tommy argued back. "Elsa, tyrranodrones, city becoming a scene of complete devastation remember? I mean, we can get ourselves back, but even for Connor, it's going to take a while."

"I am not running that distance!" Connor put in.

"Let me see if I can lock onto your coordinates and find an invisiportal," Haley's voice told them. They could hear her typing. Not a single one of them said a word. They were too worried about what was happening in Reefside. Tommy had finally let go over Connor's arm, and the leader was rubbing it, lost in thought. This was exactly what they were worried about.

"Relax," Tommy told them after a few moments, though it was clear he was far from it himself. "We knew this was a possibility. But it's only been a few hours. It could have been a heck of a lot worse."

"It probably was," Trent muttered, but he nodded understanding. Apparently Mesagog hadn't wasted any time beginning the attack on Reefside in the ranger's absence. The destruction he'd probably been able to cause in the two weeks they were gone was more than likely catastrophic. But they were here, only two hours or so after they had left. They would stop him.

"Got one," Haley's voice interrupted their thoughts. "It'll be opening near you in a moment. It'll put you right in the middle of the park, so if you're not morphed, you might want to do so now."

"Thanks Haley," Connor replied, rather than relinquish his arm back to Tommy. He didn't waste any time even checking to see if his team was ready. He knew they would be.

"Dino Thunder! Power Up!" he shouted, hearing Tommy, Kira, and Ethan follow suit. He heard Trent's morphing call reach his ears at the same time. Five fully morphed rangers stood ready a moment later when a swirling vortex of greenish blue opened up beside them. Connor nodded to his teammates and leapt through, feeling their presence behind him. He just prayed he wouldn't be horrified by what they found.

The place where the rangers landed was so familiar, it took all the self-control Connor had not to drop to his knees and kiss the ground. He was thrilled to finally and truly be home. However, any celebration he and the others would have needed to wait. Just in the distance, Elsa was orchestrating hundreds of tyrranodrones who were demolishing anything they could get their hands on. For a few moments the rangers stood, taking in the sheer numbers in front of them. Connor knew that when the rangers did succeed in clearing them out, the public service people were going to have a large clean up job on their hands. And Tommy would probably have them helping.

Connor led the sprint from where the invisiportal had dropped them to Elsa's location. Now that they were home again, he felt much more comfortable resuming his position as leader. He didn't hesitate, or look to Tommy for guidance nearly as much as he had while they were stuck in the past.

"What do you think you're doing?" Connor shouted, coming to a stop in an offensive position, Kira and Ethan on either side of him, Tommy and Trent on the outsides of their line, and slightly behind.

"What are you doing here?" Elsa returned his question with one of her own. While her voice was calm and angry, her face and eyes betrayed her. The shocked and upset expression she wore indicated that in no way was she expecting to find the dino thunder rangers confronting her. "You're not supposed to be here! We destroyed you!"

"You tried," Kira spat at her.

"You failed," Ethan added in, his voice more like a growl.

"I'll repeat," Connor stated calmly, forcing his own anger down. No one trashed his city on his watch and got away with it. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I don't understand," Elsa stated, stepping backwards slightly. "This makes no sense! You were gone!" She still refused to answer Connor's question.

"I'm waiting," Connor stated, crossing his arms over his chest, and tapping his foot in an exaggerated fashion. Despite the fact that she had been destroying Reefside, Connor was slightly amused by her terror. Elsa's face looked like she had seen a ghost. At the start of the exchange, the tyrranodrones had even stopped their destruction and were looking back and forth between their commander and the five rangers.

"How did you get here?" Elsa demanded, her voice volume well above that of a normal speaking tone.

Connor just sighed and shook his head. "Time's up," he told her, "leave now."

"Never!" Elsa hissed, and immediately the tyrranodrones streaked by her, racing toward the rangers.

"You tried," Trent told Connor, getting a nod in return before all five threw themselves into battle.

"All I wanted was a nap," Tommy stated, miserably from the center of a tyrranodrone circle.

"Sorry, Dr. O," Connor called back. "Apparently, they cannot be reasoned with."

Banter aside, fueled by anger and irritation as motivation, the dino thunder team executed a flawless offense against the tyrannodrones. Sometimes working in groups of two or even three, and sometimes working alone.

Tommy fought his way through and past most of the minions, seeking out Mesagog's general. When he reached her, trying to escape into an invisiportal, he grabbed hold of her shoulders and yanked her to the ground. However, she was able to spring back to her feet, and the two entered into a physical contest of kicks and punches, ignoring the battle around them.

Tommy was angry. Normally Elsa's presence or that of any of Mesagog's henchmen caused him to become irritated. But this was beyond normal. Apparently Mesagog expected him to be dead, and the other rangers along with him. He hadn't brought it back up, but the entire time travel trip was because Mesagog had sought to destroy him as a powerless child. This wasn't an attack on the rangers. It was personal. And the entire thing had brought up a lot of personal baggage that he just really didn't want to handle. So during the fight, he took every ounce of his anger out on the woman who had been so surprised to see him and the other rangers standing there.

"This is all your fault," Elsa managed to choke out, as she struggled to her feet, backing away from Tommy.

"Probably," he told replied coldly, closing in on her.

"You're supposed to be dead," she hissed, venom in her voice. Tommy knew she was probably more scared to death of what Mesagog would do when he found out that Tommy wasn't six feet under, than what he was currently doing to her right at that moment.

"Can't always get what we wish for," he replied. Each time she backed up a step, he followed. The only thing that prevented him from resuming the thrashing he'd been giving her was the fact that he knew if she did escape, she'd have to deal with a very angry boss. It didn't surprise him when at that moment, another invisiportal opened behind her. Elsa glanced at it over her shoulder, before turning her eyes back on Tommy who continued to advance. She growled, and then spun, leaping into the invisiportal before he could stop her. It closed the moment her molecular structure was inside, leaving Tommy to glare angrily after it.

However, his contemplation of the situation with Elsa lasted only for a brief moment, as he heard Kira's ptera scream punctuate the air. It didn't sound normal. Instead it was almost hoarse, and he wasn't in any pain, having not covered his ears. It was clearly not the first time she'd used it during the battle, although he'd been so caught up with Elsa and his anger that he hadn't paid any attention to anything else.

Tommy whirled around on his feet, frowning as he surveyed the battle, and cursing himself for getting wrapped up in a revenge endeavor. It was at that moment that he realized that in his anger, he'd left the four other rangers to deal with a few hundred tyrranodrones on their own. "Shit," he muttered to himself, before he charged back towards his teammates. Surveying the situation, it appeared that Kira wasn't the only one who had basically exhausted herself. The tyrranodrone numbers were diminished from what they had been, but everywhere he looked, it seemed like they just kept on coming. Mesagog had been ready for their disappearance. He'd thought that it had meant that Chronosaurus had been successful in the past. He hadn't known that Tommy and the others had made the trip with the monster. This was his army. Or at least a large part of it.

"Dr. O," Kira stated, when he reached her side. She was kneeling down on one knee, trying to catch her breath. "This isn't working." Tommy helped her to stand, searching the area for Connor, Trent, and Ethan. He didn't see them, but he did see three large masses of tyrranodrones. He had a bad feeling the three teenage boys were at the centers of the masses.

"Can you keep going?" he asked her, concerned.

"Not much longer," Kira confirmed, "but yeah for a little while."

"Dr. O!" Connor's shout finally reached him. He caught a glimpse of red in between the mutant creatures, as Connor took an opening to sprint out towards Kira and Tommy. "We're gonna need to go super dino mode," he added, attempting to catch his breath. His body language signified exhaustion.

"Couldn't agree more," Tommy shouted back to him, as he watched turned to see another circle of tyrannodrones explode outward. At the heart was Ethan, crouched as Kira had been, breathing hard. "Ethan?"

"I heard. Where's Trent?"

"Here!" Trent shouted back. "Let's do this!" He managed to kick his way out of the huddle around him, as all five rangers grouped together. Connor nodded and took the center point of their formation. All five rangers crossed their arms in front of their faces.

"Super Dino Mode! Now!" They shouted. The prehistoric creatures that gave them their powers shifted within their helmets to roar. Within seconds, the diamond and spike patterns on their respective uniforms elongated. Multipointed spikes grew out over Trent's hands, while wing formations added onto Kira's uniform.

"Recharged! Let's kick some mutant ass," Kira growled. The other four nodded, and together, they charged back towards their enemies. Kicks and punches landed harder and faster. Sparks flew. Bolts of electricity shot through the tyrranodrones, which began to drop like flies in the presence of five super charged rangers.

However, as the rangers began to exhaust themselves again, there were just under one hundred tyrannodrones remaining. More than enough to demolish them.

"It doesn't end," Ethan stated, leaning on his knees trying to catch his breath. Both Trent and Kira who were near him shook their heads.

"Dr. O," Trent called out. "We could do with one of your hope speeches right about now."

"Yeah," Tommy replied, just as tired as the other four, "I got nothing." The five rangers backed up into a circle, arms raised in defensive positions, heads darting back and forth between the massive circles of tyrranodrones around them. Inside their helmets, their eyes reflected the fear that they kept out of their voices. They were sweating and pale. I was taking all the energy they had just to remain in an upright position.

"There's only one way we're walking away from this," Connor stated, stumbling slightly forward out of the circle of rangers. "I'm going to go Triassic," he stated. Ethan and Kira both nodded, moving towards him to lend him what remained of their power at that point.

"Not today Rangers," Elsa's voice suddenly cracked through the air. A massive invisiportal opened directly overhead with bolts of greenish lightning bouncing down toward the ground and spreading out from it. Suddenly the left over tyrannodrones leapt into the air, disappearing into the portal as one. Within miliseconds, the portal closed, leaving the five rangers exhausted, but stunned and alone in the park.

"They bailed?" Ethan asked, not understanding what just happened. All five were still surveying the sky above them.

"They had us," Kira confirmed. Connor's Triassic mode would have been their last ditch effort.

"That must have been all that was left of Mesagog's army," Tommy told them, finally taking his eyes off the sky and looking at each of his teammates. Their super dino powers had decharged, leaving them only normally morphed standing within the park that was pretty well decimated, both from the destruction before they got there and their battle. "If Connor succeed, he would have wiped them all out. Tyrannodrones take time to create," he added in.

"So rather than risk destruction, they retreated?" Trent asked.

Tommy nodded. "Mesagog thought we were more than gone. He thought at the very least, that I was dead, and you four powerless."

"He thought he changed the past," Connor stated with a nod, understanding Tommy's line of thought. They knew it was an accident they'd been sent back in time. Mesagog hadn't thought that anything would be able to stop the future from being changed.

"He's got to think up a whole new plan now," Tommy smirked as he said it. It felt good to spoil the creature's plan yet again.

"He won't send them all down again will he?" Kira asked. "My legs feel like jello."

"Doubt it," Connor told her. "We took out hundreds of those things. With a little rest, the remainder would be easy pickings."

"They'll be destroyed," Trent finished. "Mesagog's not going to try that again. But he's not going to forget this."

"Trent's right," Tommy agreed. Their communicators went off, and Connor answered.

"All clear Haley?" Connor asked.

"You're good. Every last one of them. You five alright?"

"Exhausted," Connor confirmed, looking at each member of his team. "But we'll live."

"How about a lift then? I just sent the raptor cycles and dino ATVs to your location."

"You're a god send, Haley," Connor laughed, hearing the sounds of their vehicles. "Right on schedule."

"See you when you get here," Haley replied, and cut their communication. The five rangers walked toward their respective ride, and climbed on.

"You know what?" Kira asked, slight amusement in her voice.

"Hmm?" Trent stated.

"You don't miss teleporting until you can't do it anymore," she laughed.

"Amen!" Tommy smirked, as the other three boys laughed. They revved up their respective motors and sped off towards their command post.

All five rangers demorphed before entering the lab command ranger debriefing office in Tommy's basement. Despite the mess, they were all insanely happy to be back in it. As soon as they saw Haley, the four teenagers rushed forward, wrapping her in a massive group hug, shouting her name.

"Um… hi guys. Happy to see you to," Haley laughed, not quite understanding what was going on. "Ok, can't breathe."

"Sorry," Connor laughed as the four reluctantly released her.

"You all ok?" Haley asked them, looking them over. Each sported a few bruises and bangs, but in total they all looked whole. They nodded in answer to her question, allowing themselves to fall onto chairs and sofas.

"Any indication that Mesagog's not done yet?" Tommy asked her. Haley shook her head. She'd already set the monitors and alarms on high alert just in case. She didn't have to tell him. He already knew she'd have taken those precautions. He nodded once and looked away. Her eyes contained questions that he didn't want to answer right at that moment. He was exhausted. Physically and emotionally. He'd just said goodbye to his best friends and his mentor all over again, then had to fight Elsa and an army of tyrannodrones. All on top of two weeks that could basically be described as an emotional roller coaster through a hellish circus, complete with clowns.

"So," Haley stated. "Angel Grove, huh?" The question was loaded, and her eyes were locked dead onto Tommy. She wasn't looking for an answer from Connor, Kira, Ethan, or Trent.

Before any of the four teenagers could answer, Tommy nodded his head. "It's a long story though," he told her. "Tomorrow, alright?" he added in. "Right now, I just need some sleep."

"You got it," Haley replied, slightly reluctantly. She glanced over at the four teenagers who looked about ready to pass out themselves. Connor and Ethan both sat slumped in chairs, neither trying to maintain anything that resembled proper posture. Trent sat on a sofa, leaning against the arm rest, one leg across the cushions and the other on the floor. Kira sat between his legs, pressed up against his chest with her knees pulled up. He had his arms wrapped around her, and his head on her shoulder. Both teenagers had their eyes closed. Haley gave them a funny look. When she'd seen them last, the day before, they barely made physical contact. "Trent, you going to make it to work tonight?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," he assured her. It was the complete truth. Two weeks away had made him thankful for everything. There was no place else he wanted to be than doing mundane serving work at Cyberspace. "But a nap wouldn't hurt," he added, yawning.

"Don't let them fall asleep here," Haley told Tommy who smirked. She nodded to him, and then showed herself out. Tommy watched her go for a moment before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his dead cell phone. Ignoring the teenagers, Tommy went to his desk and began to rummage through a draw searching for a charger. He took several items out of the desk during his search, including a silver and gold looking watch device.

"You weren't lying when you said you knew where this was," Connor told him. Tommy hadn't heard him come closer. He looked up to see Connor standing beside the desk holding his old communicator. He frowned, then sighed and nodded, before pulling a phone charger from the same draw. Connor set the communicator back down on the desk, and sat on the edge of it, as Tommy plugged the charger into the wall and then plugged his phone into the other end.

"So?" Connor suddenly asked him. Tommy didn't look up at first, staring at the screen on his phone, and waiting for the little lightning bolt to appear to let him know it was charging. A moment later, it did and he looked up, meeting Connor's gaze. Trent, Kira, and Ethan had looked over at him as well when Connor started talking.

"So what?" Tommy asked, falling into his desk chair. It rolled backwards slightly.

"Did it work?" Ethan asked him. They knew Tommy was being difficult on purpose, but none of them had the courage to ask the question fully and completely. They were scared of what the answer would be. Tommy sighed and ran his hand over the back of his head, every muscle in his body crying out in pain. He was beyond tired. He reached out and picked up his old communicator, brushing off the slight coating of dust that dulled its shine. He held it towards his lap so that he could study it without looking up. One press of a button and he'd be connected with at least one of his friends. He was sure that the odds were in his favor that one of them still carried it.

"Well?" Kira asked him, getting impatient. She'd left Trent's protective arm circle and was sitting on the edge of the sofa, leaning forward expectantly. Tommy looked up and met each of their eyes in turn. Then he sighed and shook his head.

"No."

"What do you mean no?" Connor asked, frowning. Ethan, Kira, and Trent just looked heart broken.

"It didn't work. Well, the memory restoration didn't," Tommy explained. "It seems the failsafe stepped in."

"The memories couldn't be restored. So they've been erased," Ethan stated, more than he asked. He was having a hard time accepting that he, Billy, and Tommy had failed.

"You don't remember anything?" Trent asked. Tommy shook his head no.

"Not from my younger self's point of view. I mean, I remember living through it with you guys, obviously. But no, I don't have any memories of meeting me and you when I was seventeen."

"So that's it then," Connor stated, getting off the desk and walking towards the exit of the lab.

"It's not all bad," Tommy told him, raising an eyebrow.

"Goody," Connor stated sarcastically. "I get to live."

"Huh?" Kira and Ethan both asked.

"Never mind," Connor told them, looking back at Tommy. "You going to fix any of it?" Tommy didn't answer. He was staring at his communicator again. "Didn't think so."

"Connor," Kira stated. "Leave him alone. Give him time. This affects him way more than it affects us."

"I guess," Connor stated, still clearly irritated. He sighed however, and nodded.

"Come on," Trent told him, standing up. "We've got parents to go visit. And I wasn't kidding about that nap. You going to be ok Dr. O?" he asked.

"Yeah," Tommy replied, looking up and giving the teenagers a slight smile. "I'll be alright. And Connor?"

"Yeah," the teenager in red asked.

"I'm going to try… but not today. I need sleep too," he added. Connor smirked back and nodded.

"Come on guys," he stated, leading the other three teenagers out of the room. Tommy dropped his communicator on the desk and followed the teenagers upstairs into his living room. Once they'd bade him fare well, and made promises to meet around ten, before opening time, at Cyberspace the next day, Tommy had watched them all depart. He then went into his bedroom and shut the door. He'd barely taken his shoes off before he passed out exhausted on the bed.

* * *

Connor and Ethan entered Cyberspace around seven o'clock that evening. They'd spent the remainder of their afternoon with their respective families, and with their pillows, but they'd made a promise to meet their friends. The idea that the older rangers didn't know who they were was weighing on them, despite Tommy's promise of fixing things. Even if he succeeded in repairing his own relationships, the rangers would not remember the two weeks they'd spent with the dino thunder team, and while they could potentially get to know them know, the dino thunder teenagers felt as if they had lost something valuable.

"Hey Haley!" Connor greeted, his face going into a huge grin at the sight of the café owner. Ethan's eyes glossed over her and came to rest on the computers at the back of space. He stopped in his tracks as Connor walked over to the bar and leaped on the stool. "Dude? You ok?" he asked his friend with a laugh. Haley was giving the boy in blue strange looks.

"What? Oh yeah," Ethan stated, snapping out of it and joining Connor.

"You guys are acting strange," Haley told them, a suspicious smile on her face.

"Are we?" Connor laughed. "Hadn't noticed," he added happily. He swirled around on his stool and leaned against the counter on his elbows. Ethan climbed onto the stool beside him and leaned forward on the counter.

"You are," Haley confirmed. "But you're not the only ones," she stated, nodding towards the stage. Connor and Ethan followed her line of sight. Kira sat on the edge, her guitar in hand. But that wasn't what Haley was referring to. It was the fact that the girl was barely paying her guitar any attention. She kept following Trent with her eyes. Every time he walked passed her, he'd stop for a moment, either brushing his hand on her shoulder, or giving her a slight peck on the lips. Both teenagers wouldn't stop smiling at each other. To the two teenage boys, it wasn't anything new. Kira and Trent had been a bit heavy on the PDA, comparatively to how they'd been before the time hop, in the few days that had passed since their acceptance of the title of boyfriend and girlfriend. That coupled with their excitement at being home led to them paying a lot more attention to each other. "They've been at it since Trent's shift started two hours ago," Haley told the two boys. "Since when are they able to look at each other without blushing?"

"Dunno," Connor laughed. Tommy had told Haley he'd tell her about their adventure tomorrow. One, he wasn't sure Tommy wanted Haley to know everything. Two, he wasn't quite in the mood to explain it himself. "People change."

"In less than twenty four hours?"

"It's a metamorphosis," Ethan snorted. Connor laughed at him.

"You both must have hit your heads harder than I thought," Haley told them, walking away to fix some drinks.

"Hey Kira!" Connor called out, getting the girls attention. Kira looked up from her guitar and spotted her teammates. Trent heard Connor's shout as well, and he and Kira both joined them at the counter, Kira leaving her guitar behind. Trent went behind the counter to fix them each a fruit drink.

"You two might want to nix it a bit on the affection," Ethan told Kira. "Haley's getting suspicious," he added, grinning at Kira. She smiled back but nodded, thanking Trent as he handed her a cup. He passed two more to Connor and Ethan, both who muttered thanks. "It's good to be back here," Ethan added, spinning around like Connor on his stool. Kira stood, leaning against the counter, Trent beside her.

"Sure is," Connor added. While Ethan's eyes had roamed back over to the computers, Connor had surveyed the rest of Cyberspace. He saw kids playing video games, talking, eating, and even a few reading. Cell phones lay scattered about the tables. No one was working out or practicing martial arts. He smiled as he took it all in, his smile faltering when he finally looked toward the sofas in the big half circle window at the front. "Um… guys," he stated, simply pointing.

Sitting on the sofa, a piece of parchment in hand was a young woman, clearly older than the dino thunder teenagers. She wore beige dress pants that ended at her ankles in a slight flare. Her top was a peachy flesh tone, with a gray floral pattern to it. She had on a pair of white stiletto open toed heels. One wrist bore a white pearl bracelet, while the other was adorned with a silver watch with a pink face. Around her neck was another strand of pearls that would have reached to a spot between her chest and her stomach, had she not been playing with them in her free hand. Her hair was brown and hung just past her shoulders though it was styled nicely, with a side part.

"I'm not seeing things, am I?" Trent asked the other three, who each shook their heads.

"But it can't be," Kira stated. "Dr. O said he didn't remember."

"Maybe he lied?" Trent suggested. Kira and Ethan both glared at him. Connor still hadn't taken his eyes off the woman, but he did set down his drink. "Or maybe he's the only one it didn't effect, being that he was on both sides."

"That's a possibility," Ethan stated.

"This doesn't make sense," Connor interrupted his teammates' conversation. He turned back to face them. "I wasn't sure back then. But I'm positive now. She was the girl from the soccer field two weeks ago."

"You mean yesterday," Ethan corrected him. Connor frowned, trying to figure out the proper time frame.

"Whatever," he added, shaking his head. It was too confusing to grasp. "Anyway, if the memory device wasn't set to return their memories until the time stream corrected itself, how could she end up here a day before?"

"Wow," Ethan said, his face completely serious. "That actually makes sense."

"Do you think she remembers?" Kira asked. "I mean, obviously she didn't yesterday. She would have known it was Connor, or would she have, because technically yesterday we hadn't gone back in time yet." She blinked a few times, having confused herself. Trent just shrugged.

"Only one way to find out," Connor stated, jumping off the stool. Before they could stop him, Connor began walking over to the woman. The other three rushed after him, not completely convinced this was a good idea. When he was within a comfortable speaking distance, Connor took a deep breath, clearly nervous and spoke. "Hey Kimberly," he stated.

The woman looked up from her letter, and searched, hearing a voice speak her name. When her eyes fell on Connor, her face broke into a smile of recognition. Connor's hopes soared for a moment. "Oh, hey Connor," she spoke, folding the letter, and tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Who are your friends?" Connor's smile fell for a moment before he composed himself. Behind him, Kira bit her lip, and Ethan and Trent exchanged a quick look. Nope, no memories of meeting them here either. Connor was too startled to answer.

"I'm Kira," his teammate offered, stepping up and around him. She sat down on one of the sofas opposite Kimberly. Everything about her was familiar. For Kira it had only been a few hours since she'd last seen her, albeit, she had been almost ten years younger. Still, aside from appearing more mature and not wearing as much pink, Kimberly looked the same. "This is Ethan and Trent," she offered, indicating her friends as Kim nodded.

"It's nice to meet you," Kimberly stated.

"Connor told us he showed you around Reefside this morning," Trent added in, moving to sit beside Kira. Ethan fell into the third seat beside Trent, leaving Connor to perch on the arm rest.

"Oh, yeah," Kimberly replied, smiling. "He gave me the grand tour. Well, at least until we were attacked in the park by some crazy looking freaks."

Kira, Connor, Ethan, and Trent all sighed inwardly. Kim was good. After all, she'd had ten years more experience dancing around the subject but still getting the information she wanted. Funny enough, Connor realized, she'd done an amazing acting job that morning of being absolutely terrified when the tyrranodrones had attacked them. Now, he wondered how hard she'd had to fight her instincts to actually leave him there when he'd told her to run. He also wondered how much she had guessed. He did notice she was giving him and his friend an appraising look. If she hadn't guessed what he was that morning, he supposed she knew it now.

"I wasn't sure if you'd gotten away. You're ok right?" Kimberly asked him. Connor debated how to answer the question. He could feel his teammates' gazes on him. If he told the truth and confirmed what he thought to be her suspicions, she'd want to know how he knew he could trust her. Considering she apparently had no memory of meeting them all nine years before that explanation would take all night.

"Yeah," he stated. "The power rangers showed up and took care of them. I was able to escape during the fight." Lamest cover story ever aside, he knew she would have seen through anything. However, she was better than he and his teammates, and she just nodded. If he hadn't known any better, he would have believed her when her face shifted into one of intense relief. She wouldn't out them.

"I'm glad. You're a sweet kid."

"I try," Connor laughed, slightly irritated at being called a kid. Although now that he realized it, Kim was a lot farther from his age than he'd thought she was when he first met her the previous day, or two weeks ago, or however long it had really been since the soccer field.

"Are you new to Reefside?" Ethan asked, shifting the topic. Or he thought he was.

"Thinking about moving," Kimberly replied. "But I don't know. Do those things attack often? I mean, you have a team of Power Rangers."

"It's not too bad," Trent replied with a smile. Connor wasn't the only one who'd picked up on Kim's acting abilities. He was fairly sure Ethan and Kira knew she was playing them as well.

"There were hundreds of those things this afternoon. They must be really brave to take them all on," Kim tossed in. The teens didn't miss her slight mischievous smile, though she thought they did. The conversation consisted of both parties knowing who the other was but being unable to say so for various reasons.

"They are," Kira replied with a laugh. "But you should be careful who you say it that too," she told Kim. "They could be anyone, and it would go to their heads."

"Good point," Kimberly stated. She placed the letter she had in her hands into her purse and slung it over her shoulder. "I should get going. It was nice to meet you all."

"Nice to meet you too," Trent stated, as the group of five stood. "Will you be in Reefside long?" he asked her. Kimberly shrugged in response.

"I'm not sure yet. Haven't decided when I'm leaving," Kimberly replied.

"Be sure to come say goodbye before you go," Connor told her. "You can always find us here," he added in. Kimberly smiled and nodded. It was a genuinely pleased smile. Different from the ones she'd give them when she was toying with them.

"I will," she promised. "See you all later," she added, leaving the café. The teens watched her go for a few moments.

"Well," Connor stated, sighing. "That answered a few things."

"She knows we're rangers," Ethan stated with a nod. "But not because she remembers us."

"No," Kira agreed. "Because she was one," she added in. "She knows what to look for. And of course, Connor didn't run to safety with her this morning."

"Think she knows we know she's one?" Connor asked. Ethan and Kira shook their heads. Trent shrugged.

"Doubt it," he added in. "We'd have no reason to suspect her. It's not like she stayed and helped you fight."

"True. Think we should tell Dr. O she's here?" Connor stated, as he led the way back to the counter where Haley was frowning at the four of them.

"How do you know that woman?" Haley asked them simply, her frown deepened, before any of his teammates could answer his question.

"Um… she's the woman from the soccer field yesterday," Connor lied. Again, time travel talk was Tommy's job.

"I thought you said that woman was college aged."

"She looks young," Connor protested, although this time it was Kira's turn to give Haley a questioning look.

"Haley?" Kira asked. "What do you know about her?"

"Nothing," Haley said a little too quickly. Kira didn't believe her. Haley was hiding something.

"You tell us what you know," Kira stated. "We'll tell you why we've all been acting strange." Connor, Ethan, and Trent all stared at Kira as if she'd grown another head. However, if anyone could get away with going behind Tommy's back and telling Haley where they'd been it was Kira. Haley studied Kira for a few moments, sizing up the teenage girl's ultimatum. She could wait until tomorrow and get the story out of Tommy, but somehow, she figured, if she had to wait, he'd leave stuff out, both on purpose and by accident. Swiss cheese memories don't retain detail very well.

"Fine. Her name is Kimberly Hart. She's been coming here one weekend a year for the last three years. She always comes in here and asks me if I know a Dr. Tommy Oliver."

"What have you told her?" Ethan asked.

"I told her no," Haley replied, as if it were the simplest answer on the face of the earth.

"Why?" Kira asked, not liking that answer.

"A few reasons," Haley stated. "One, up until this past fall, Tommy didn't have his doctorate. He wasn't a science teacher. He wasn't in Reefside. How the hell did she know to come looking for him here? It's as if she was predicting the future."

"Ok," Kira stated, nodding. "That explains the last few years. But obviously you told her you didn't know him this year as well. Why lie?"

"She's from his past. A painful one. I am not going to be responsible for bringing up those memories for him," Haley told the teenagers. The boys exchanged looks, which Haley missed. "If she really wants to find him, she can do it without my help." Kira just bit her lip, not sure what to say. "Ok, I talked; that's all I know; now it's your turn."

"I guess that was the deal," Kira replied, she looked around, making sure there was no one nearby who could over hear her. The boys moved to form a barrier between the rest of the patrons and Kira and Haley. "Ok, so you know how we said we were in Angel Grove?" Haley nodded. "Well, we were. Just not in this year. Haley, we time traveled back to Angel Grove 1995. We've been gone for two weeks." Haley's face paled.

"You've been what?" she stated a bit too loudly. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Shhh…" Kira hissed. "I'll explain, but don't interrupt," she added. Haley nodded, pulling up a stool. Kira climbed onto one on her side of the counter, and began to tell Haley everything, although she did leave out a few particular pieces of embarrassing information. When she finished, the four teenagers watched Haley, waiting for some type of acknowledgement. Haley took a few minutes to digest Kira's story.

"So you're telling me you know Kimberly Hart because you just got back from spending two weeks with a seventeen year old version of her, Tommy, and the rest of that power ranger team?"

"Dr. O says you've worked with Billy before," Ethan added in. Haley frowned, but nodded.

"You helped Billy and Tommy, our Tommy I mean, put together a device that would lock away their memories of the encounter until you got back?"

"Yeah," Ethan nodded. "I just didn't work. Their memories didn't come back."

"Ok then," Haley stated with a nod.

"You ok?" Trent asked her.

"I'm fine. A bit confused, but more importantly, how are you four? This can't be easy." She'd deal with Tommy later.

"Happy to be home. We just wish they would have remembered. I think Dr. O is taking it harder than us," Kira stated.

"Agreed," Trent and Ethan chimed in. Haley nodded. She knew how hard it must have been for him having to reconnect with his friends after he'd cut them out of his life. He also knew how hard it must be for him now, realizing they'd had no memory of an encounter he did remember. She'd have to talk to him in the morning.

"Speaking of Dr. O," Connor stated. "Do you think we should tell him that Kim's here?"

"She'll stick around at least until the end of the day tomorrow," Haley told him. "She has every other year. Let him sleep. He earned it," Haley added, not entirely sure that Tommy reconnecting with Kimberly was a good idea. She'd meant it when she said she wanted to play no part in that reunion. The teenagers nodded agreement.

* * *

As the clock approached one in the morning, in his sleep, Tommy groaned in pain. His dreamless sleep became filled with thoughts infiltrating his mind. His face flinched and distorted as he fought what felt like needles penetrating into the deepest recesses of his mind. His arms and legs flailed slightly on top of the covers on his bed. A few moments later, just as suddenly as the pain had erupted, it disappeared, never allowing Tommy to regain consciousness. However, his sleep went from empty and peaceful to a chaos of thought and ideas.

A few minutes later, downstairs in the basement, his cell phone began to ring. On the computer on the desk beside it, a window open and a computerized voice rang out "Incoming Video Call." It repeated itself several times before stopping. The cell phone rang again. No sooner had it stopped, when the computer voice sounded a second time. Before it ended its announcement, the cell phone rang a third time. All went quiet for a few moments, before six tones erupted from the communicator on the desk.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed that. Chapter 29 is written. And Chapter 31 is just about finished. I need to put some edits in. However, I finished writing chapter 30 at work on Thursday. I normally email it to myself so I can work on it at home. But when I opened the document, instead of 14 pages, there were the 2 I had written on Wednesday. So I went to the file I had worked on at home Wednesday evening. Only 9 pages there. So, I'm going into work today because I'm freaking out that this might mean I lost 5 pages of work and those 5 pages were extremely important and I can't remember every detail so if I have to re-write it, it won't be as good as the first time. So basically, send good thoughts, vibes, etc, that I just saved the file in a different place and emailed myself the wrong version, and that the completed chapter is on my work PC.

Fateless


	29. Chapter 29

Not sure I can describe why, but this was my favorite chapter to write so far. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

* * *

A tall muscular man entered a dimly lit bedroom nearing one o'clock in the morning. He wore a pair of dark brown and red plaid pants, but aside from that was naked. He peered around the room through brown eyes, and ran a hand over his short cropped brown hair. It had started to grow out again slightly on top, but it wasn't much longer than the near military buzz cut he'd worn for the last few months, especially on the sides. He sighed and smiled at the dark skinned woman with her long black hair in braids. She was sitting up in bed, back against the pillow propped on the headboard. She wore a grey t-shirt with a few accents of pale yellow embedded in it. She set the book she'd been reading aside as her husband joined her in the bed.

"I thought he'd never get to sleep," the man told her, with a slight groan and a laugh. "Remind me, when do they start sleeping through the night?"

"I don't think they do," his wife laughed, leaning over and kissing his cheek lightly. "Katie was up again too," she told him. He frowned.

"Nightmares?" he asked his wife. She shook her head, causing her braids to flop around a little.

"She was thirsty, and hungry, and then she wanted another story. Then she was too hot. A moment later, she was too cold," the woman laughed. "I swear, she just doesn't sleep because she's afraid she's going to miss something."

"What could she think is possibly going on at one in the morning? You think her brother woke her?"

"Doubt it," the woman replied, snuggling against her husband. She laid her head on his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her tightly. "You got to him fast enough," she added. "Thank you, by the way."

"For what?" he asked her, looking down at her. She tilted her head up so she could look him in the eye.

"Not being one of those dads who never gets up with the kids in the middle of the night."

Her husband shrugged slightly. "Luke's not that difficult," he replied. "Give him a bottle, rock him a bit and he's back to sleep. Katie's my fault I think," he added with another laugh.

"She's definitely got your personality Rocky," his wife told him with a laugh. "All hyper and wanting to play at all hours."

"Hey," Rocky protested, though there was a grin on his face. "I like my sleep."

"Only because those two don't let us have it anymore," his wife told him.

"But you wouldn't have it any other way, would you?" Rocky asked his wife, leaning down and kissing her forehead as she shook her head no.

"What time do you need to be up tomorrow?" she asked him. Rocky sighed and glanced at the clock, reading the bright red numbers that indicated a minute till one.

"Adam's supposed to be in the office during the early lessons," Rocky replied. "I don't need to be in till ten," he added.

"Good," she stated, sighing comfortable as Rocky sunk down a little into the bed. His arms never unwrapped from around her. "I'll get him if he wakes up again," she added.

"Thanks," Rocky replied, moving his arm to reach toward the lamp on the bedside table. However, just as his hand hit the small knob, he felt his wife tense against him, and hiss in pain. She curled against his side going into the fetal position, her eyes squeezing tight, but a tear creeped down her face. She'd released him, and was gripping her head.

"Make it stop," she whimpered.

"Aisha?" Rocky asked, alarm in his voice. She never got migraines. He searched her for a moment with his eyes before a dull stabbing pain the back of his skull made him see spots. Aisha groaned again, curling up tighter. She was actively crying now. "Aisha?" he asked her again, running his hand over his face, fighting the pain that was blinding him and preventing him from finding out what was wrong with Aisha. Spots filled his entire field of vision, and he hissed in pain as well, rolling to the side and clutching his head. He was completely positive that the pain wasn't ordinary, having struck both of them at the exact same time, and in his gut, he knew it was related to their past as rangers. He reached his hand out and found Aisha's, clutching it and gripping it as, squeezing it to lend her the only comfort he could.

* * *

A dark skinned woman with shoulder length straightened black hair walked backwards through a gravel parking lot, her hands clasped behind her back. She wore a pair of black heeled boots, and dark blue jeans that flared slightly at the ends of the legs. Her tank top was white, and ended right at her belly button, so as she moved, it lifted ever so slightly showing her midriff. Over this, she wore a light jean jacket with sleeves that ended at her elbows. On her wrists were two plastic cuff like bracelets in bright yellow. She smiled at her companion who was a few feet away, walking forward in step with her.

"So what did you think?" she asked the man, who was clearly of at least partial Asian descent. He had short black hair arranged into a mini fauxhawk. His mouth was circled with a light stubble the same color as his hair. He watched her with amusement in his dark eyes. He wore a pair of black jeans and a dark grey t-shirt, with a dark forest green button down open over it, the sleeves of which were rolled to his elbows. A silver watch with a black face rested on one of his wrists.

He laughed at her enthusiasm as they reached the black sedan. He glanced back over his shoulder at the small bar they'd just left. "They were ok," he told her, not entirely convinced by the new band she'd dragged him out to see.

"Come on!" she laughed. "Eyeshine is going to be huge one day!" she laughed. She leaned against the rear door of the driver's side, her palms resting on the car. Her companion, taller, leaned forward on it, resting his arms on the car's roof. He smiled down at her, an eyebrow raised. "The music's awesome."

"That's the only reason you like them?" he laughed.

"Ok, well, and the lead singer, Johnny, is kinda cute."

"Tanya, I'm hurt," he told her, clutching his chest, and feigning being wounded, as he turned to face her. The woman laughed, spinning so she was facing him as well. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his head towards her.

"Not as cute as my fiancé," she told him, standing on her tippy toes and planting a kiss on his lips.

"You just like saying that word," he laughed, and she nodded.

"Took me forever to get it," she retorted, pulling away slightly. "Gonna use it as much as possible." She reached her left arm out and examined the marquis cut solitaire on her ring finger, smiling. The ring he'd given her the week before was perfect.

"We've only been officially dating for three years," he replied. "Three years is not forever," he added with a laugh.

"Well," Tanya replied. "It feels like forever. We've known each other since we were kids. We would have been dating longer if someone wasn't so shy," she added.

"You wouldn't have wanted me if I was as outgoing as Rocky," he argued back. She laughed and shook her head.

"Aisha can have him," Tanya retorted. She sighed, leaning back against the car. "This was a nice night. I don't want it to end."

"I've got work tomorrow," her fiancé reminded her. The thought elicited a yawn from her. "What are the odds Rocky will switch with me?"

"He's got a one month old at home," Tanya told him. "Somehow I doubt you going out to a late night concert in a bar trumps waking up at all hours with a screaming baby."

He snickered and nodded. "Can't believe Luke's a month already. And Katie's two. I feel old."

"What time is it anyway?" Tanya asked him, ignoring his old comment, stepping away and moving toward the passenger side of the car. If he was old, then so was she. Her fiancé lifted his wrist to his face, using the parking lot light to see by while he opened the car door with the other hand.

"Just about one am," he told her, suddenly blinking a few times. He gripped his head, hissing in pain, leaning on the car with the driver's side door wide open. His other hand gripped the roof, his knuckles turning white as spots invaded his vision. He fell forward slightly, his knees buckling at the pain.

"Adam!" Tanya shouted, dashing back around the car to him. She wrapped her arms around him, helping ease him down to a sitting position. When he was on the ground, he pulled his knees up, and leaned his back against the car, cradling his head in his hands, wincing and groaning at the pain. Tanya crouched in front of him, both of her hands on his shoulders, concern and fear in her face "Adam what's wrong?"

* * *

A young man sat at a computer screen, typing away on a key board in the middle of a laboratory. His bright blue eyes scanned over the unusual characters and symbols on the monitor, reading the strange language with ease. His dark blond hair was cut short, but a little elevated on top of his head. His colleagues were all bald, and compared to him, their heads appeared misshapen and slightly purple. His clothing was strange, compared to the black v-neck uniforms of the other individuals in the lab. Aside from an under garment in various colors, the uniform consisted of solid black top and bottoms. The blond man on the other hand wore a pair of khaki colored slacks and a white polo shirt. He had a silver watch on his wrist with a bright blue face. And he lacked the strange facial features that resembled a face mask that each of his colleagues possessed as well. Yet, despite the differences, he was perfectly comfortable in that setting. It had been his home for over half a decade.

"How's the report looking, Cestro?" he called to his dark skinned companion. Under the man's black uniform, he wore a blue colored garment.

"All the parameters appear stable, Billy," Cestro replied, without turning to face. Neither of the two men needed to look at one another to communicate. They'd worked side by side long enough to function well.

"Great," Billy stated with a smile. "They'll be pleased with the upgrades we've managed to make on the teleportation system. It's been down long enough."

"I'll be happy to tell them we'll have it up and running within the next month," Cestro replied, nodding in agreement. He turned away from his work station, his eyes falling on Billy. "Are you alright my friend?" he asked, noticing Billy was frowning and rubbing at his temples with his index finger and thumb of his right hand.

"I don't know. Perhaps I've been staring at the computer screen too long," Billy replied, squeezing his eyes shut. "My head just started to hurt," he added, switching to use both hands to massage each of his temples.

"You don't often get headaches," Cestro told him, moving closer with an expression of concern on his features.

"I know," Billy stated as the pain intensified. It was bad enough that it interfered with his vision. He bit down on his lip, trying to take his mind off of the pain that was radiating through his body. "Maybe it'll pass," he added, through gritted teeth, one of his hands cradling his head, while the other curled into a fist as tightly as he could.

* * *

She lay in her bed staring out the window at absolutely nothing. She couldn't see very far, considering it was pitch black. She was too high up in the hotel for any of the street lights to have made an impact on illuminating her field of view. It didn't matter anyway. If she could have seen, her mind wasn't on it. She was thinking. She'd been thinking all evening. Ever since she'd met up with Connor and his friends at the place called Cyberspace.

Kimberly sighed and tore her gaze away from the window and back to the letter in her hand. She'd found the letter almost exactly three years before when she'd been moving apartments. She'd started flipping through some old photo albums, and came across a picture that was pushed out further than any of the others. She'd pulled it out to find a letter addressed to her from Tommy. She'd been shocked to find it. When she'd first read the letter she had been sure it was a joke. The things it said were absolutely insane. But, she'd been through insane before. So she'd taken a chance. And she'd taken the same chance again the year after, and once again this year. However, this was the first time she was positive that it wasn't a joke. This time she'd found something to confirm it was real. She sighed and began to read the letter for the millionth time in her life.

 _Hey Beautiful,_

 _I suppose, by the time you're reading this, I haven't called you that in a while. Maybe you'll prefer I call you Kim, or Kimberly, or Ms. Hart. I do hope that's still your last name. I know, you're probably incredibly surprised to find this. I hope you hid this in a safe place. I hope it didn't take you too long to find it. Truthfully, I wonder how long it's been since I wrote this. For reference, we're currently seventeen._

 _So, my guess is that we're no longer together anymore. Clearly I don't know how long it's been. But in my time, you're still my girlfriend. Still my beautiful. You just told me about a week ago about your mom moving to Paris. You're living with Aisha now. Do you remember that?_

 _I guess this letter is probably causing you some confusion. I can't say that what I'm going to write next will make that any better. Just know that at least for the moment, I know what's going to happen. You're going to break up with me. I don't know how, or why, or even when. I just know it's coming. And I know I can't stop it. I know that I won't stop it. I know I'm going to let you go. But that's the reason I'm writing this. I don't want to let you go. I have no idea what you're going to do that will make me, but please know this now, no matter how long it's been, I don't want to let you go. Or I didn't. Or whatever verb I'm supposed to use._

 _Kim, I have no say in the matter. I can't fix things between us no matter how badly I want to. I know that doesn't make sense, but you have to believe me. I wouldn't lie to you. So, if we're going to be fixed, it's going to be you who has to do it. I hope everything can one day go back to how it was, but even if it can't; even if you're now Mrs. Somebody or other; I still want you and need you to be a part of my life. So, I'm asking you, no matter where you are in life, please come find me and put our relationship back together – even if it's just as friends._

 _I can't tell you how I know because you wouldn't believe me, and it'll just confuse you more. But when you read this, come look for me in Reefside, CA. You can probably find me at a place called Cyberspace. You'll know you have the right place and time if there are Power Rangers. Ask for Dr. Tommy Oliver._

 _Kimberly, please do this._

 _I love you._

 _Tommy_

She didn't understand how it was possible that Tommy knew they would break up when at the time he wrote the letter she hadn't known she was going to break up with him. She didn't understand most of what he'd written. It was backwards and strange. However, the last four words he'd written had brought her to Reefside for the last three years. If the letter had indeed been written by him, when it said it was, then it was honest. She knew he'd truly loved her then. Just as she had loved him. Now, she wasn't sure where they stood, or even where he was.

The first year she'd come to Reefside, she'd found Cyberspace. She'd found it run by a woman named Haley. But Haley told her she didn't know Dr. Tommy Oliver. That one part alone had Kimberly more than a tad bit skeptical that the letter was real. She worried for a while that the letter was some type of evil plan by aliens to capture her. But no alien attack had ever come. She'd stayed for the weekend, promising to try again the following year. However, that year she was met by the same exact result. No Dr. Tommy Oliver. And both years, no power rangers.

However, this year was different. She'd accepted a youth's invitation to look around the city a bit due to the fact that she clearly wasn't finding anything out at Cyberspace. She'd known that this trip was different from each of her other two that very morning when she and the teenage boy who'd offered to show her around had been attacked by strange looking creatures that she was definitely there at the right time. She'd been prepared to defend herself, and had even slipped her purse over her head, when the boy had shoved her, encouraging her to run to safety. He didn't even look slightly scared. It was then that it had clicked. She'd realized he was clothed in predominately red, with a strange looking bracelet on his wrist. The boy was definitely not the jewelry type. She'd also read his determined look before she'd sighed and fled the park. If she was right, the boy would soon have back up.

Her suspicions were confirmed that evening in Cyberspace when the teen, Connor, had introduced her to three other teenagers. She'd marked them all off at that point: Red, Yellow, Blue, and White. She had a feeling there might be more. Four was a relatively small team. However, that sealed it. She was in Reefside at the right time. There were power rangers. Tommy was somewhere nearby. After all, the letter had now been confirmed twice: Cyberspace and the power rangers existed. She no longer doubted Tommy had written it himself, yet she still had no idea how he had known.

However, she'd come back to her hotel room and immediately packed her bags. Normally during this trip, she'd stay the whole weekend, leaving Sunday night. This time, she had decided to check out the moment the sun came up the next morning. If the power ranger portion of the letter was right, and Cyberspace was right, it meant the woman, Haley, at least this year, was lying to her. Which could only mean that Tommy no longer wanted to see her again. The Tommy that existed now was not the Tommy who had written her the letter. She'd been foolish to think he would be. After all, the Tommy who wrote the hidden letter did not know what she would do. She didn't blame him for not wanting anything to do with her.

She sighed and looked over at the clock beside her bed that showed it to be just after midnight. She yawned, and folded the letter, slipping in back inside the envelope she'd found it in. She then turned out the light and lay down in bed, falling asleep within moments, sad and angry all at once.

She slept alright for about an hour, old memories of how she and Tommy had first met infiltrating her dreams, often distorting so they were less than pleasant, but not precisely what would be defined as nightmares. However, as the clock's display changed to read one in the morning, she moaned a bit in pain, the fact that she was asleep keeping her shielded from much of the stabbing and throbbing. She flinched slightly, and moved her arms to hold her head, as the pain intensified for a few moments before completely subsiding. Her dreams became more vivid and realistic, speeding up in the time line to around the time Tommy had supposedly written the letter she'd been clinging to the last few days.

* * *

Almost as quickly as the pain had begun, it began to subside. Billy took a few deep breathes, trying to get his barings. However, in the absence of the pain to concentrate on, there was something new. Something that hadn't been there a few moments ago.

" _It's not going to hurt is it?"_ Kimberly's seventeen year old voice asked in his head. He sighed as he recalled her asking that question. He smirked slightly.

"Sorry Kim," he muttered, not loud enough for Cestro to hear him.

"Billy," Cestro asked, "are you alright?"

"I will be," Billy stated. He realized the pain was from an overload of memories. The lock he'd help to create had just unlocked, and two weeks' worth of hidden and altered memories had flooded his mind all at once. It was no wonder he'd felt like his head was being ripped open. As it was, he was having a bit of trouble focusing on the here and now, his mind constantly shifting through the new thoughts and emotions, experiencing events he hadn't recalled for nearly a decade. The memories flooded back through in no particular order, often skipping around. Some were vague; brief fleeting moments. Some felt hallow, as if he couldn't exactly put an emotion with them; while others were vivid and piercing, making him feel happiness, pain, exhaustion, joy, sadness, and a multitude of other things as they flashed through. Billy held his head for a few moments, breathing in and out, trying to refocus the chaos in his mind. He latched onto one memory, working beside Ethan in the Command Center to finish the memory device. There weren't words. Just the building of a new friendship between both blue rangers. Catching hold of it, and latching on, not letting the memory be shifted to a new one, was exactly what he needed to stabilize his thoughts. He could shift through everything else later. Billy clung to that thought of working side by side with Ethan, and steadied his breathing, leaning forward on his elbows and clutching his hand. Cestro had stepped back a little, giving him space.

After only a minute or so, although to Billy it felt like hours, the storm in his mind had finally subsided. He blinked his eyes open and shut a few times, reexamining his surroundings. He let a small smile settle onto his lips, as he used the computer mouse to minimize the current program. "I've got to make a call," he stated, pulling up a sophisticated video calling program. Cestro frowned slightly watching as Billy clicked on a name on the side bar once the program had opened that read Oliver, T. The video chat rang for several moments before returning him with an option to leave a message or try again later as the party he was trying to reach was not available. Billy glared at the computer monitor for a moment, running his hand over his face.

"Where the hell is he," Billy growled, before taking a few deep breaths to calm himself. They'd all made the promise. The moment their memories returned, they'd reach out. Being on another planet didn't change that. "Cestro," Billy stated, spinning around in his chair. "Can you tell me the approximate time in Reefside California on earth right now?"

Cestro went back to his computer and within only a few seconds, he had typed in a command and turned back to Billy. "It is currently one in the morning. Why do you ask?"

"It explains why the person I'm trying to contact isn't answering. Do you think you can handle the teleportation issue on your own for a while?"

"I suppose I could," Cestro replied. "Is it important?"

"Extremely," Billy replied. "I need to set up a transport to earth. It can't wait. I'm not sure how long I'll be gone."

Cestro studied his friends face for a few moments before nodding. He could tell how serious Billy was about the transport. "I'll go arrange it," Cestro said. "You can leave in a few hours. Transport will however, take a few days."

"I understand," Billy told him with a nod of thanks. Cestro returned it, and walked out of the lab as Billy hit the 'retry' button on the program, as his call had timed out. This time when it bounced back as unanswered, Billy took a deep breath and clicked the 'leave a message' button.

"Hey Tommy. Sorry about the earlier call. I didn't realize how late or rather, early it was there. Anyway, we all made a promise. I intend to keep it. I'll be out of contact for a few days due to the travel, but I wanted you to know, I'm coming home. I'll contact you again when I get there."

* * *

"Damn it," Aisha cursed, as the pain in her head began to subside. "Billy swore it wasn't going to hurt," she added, blinking. For a brief moment, she wasn't sure what had prompted her to say that as she pushed herself onto her knees on her bed. Rocky lay beside her, on his back, running his fingers up and down over his face. However, she was having difficulty focusing her attention on him, despite the fact that he seemed to be nodding in agreement with her statement. Instead, her mind was overrun with an influx of memories – a full two weeks' of them that she didn't even know she'd been missing. They sped through her mind like a DVD on fast forward, each scene lasting only a brief millisecond before going on to the next. She wanted to cry and laugh at the exact same time as she realized what was happening. Beside her, Rocky was experiencing something extremely similar. At first all he registered was confusion, after listening to Aisha's voice which did allow him to confirm that she was in fact going to be alright. Both husband and wife remained beside each other, Rocky on his back, and Aisha on her knees, listening to each other's breathing, but aside from that reliving moments of their lives that had occurred nine years before. Unlike Billy, neither of them had the forethought to try to latch onto one particular memory in order to stop the chaos, and therefore were forced to wait until it lessened enough for them to fully function.

"I'm not sure Adam will agree, but I'm pretty sure that that was the strangest experience of our life," Rocky groaned, rolling over onto his stomach, and pushing himself to a standing position when he was finally able to get his bearings. He gazed at Aisha for a moment, his hands running over his eyes as if he were trying to clear his vision. She had her arms wrapped around herself as she struggled to deal with the influx of emotions she'd just received. "And I'm referring to having all those memories come rushing back in."

"They didn't think the unlock all the way through, did they?" Aisha managed to squeak out. She let a small, tired smile touch her lips. Each moment a new, or rather old thought reached her. Some were sad. Others were weird. But most made her smile. There was another yellow ranger out there. One she had a connection with. One she'd fought beside. That idea alone was enough to make her grin. She noticed Rocky wasn't standing beside the bed anymore. He had his cell phone in hand and was rummaging through a drawer. "What are you doing?" she asked him, confused by his actions.

"Looking for the phone book," he stated, not finding it. "Never mind I'll call the operator," he stated, dialing information. Aisha frowned at him, pulling her knees out from under her. Memories were still popping up, some on round two, and it was causing her to feel slightly light headed. She crossed her legs on the bed, and held her head, part of her mind focused on Rocky, while the other part was concentrating on the events she'd forgotten, almost like she was watching a movie. She did manage to register it when Rocky asked the operated for a number for a Dr. Thomas Oliver in Reefside.

"You're going to call him at one in the morning?" She asked, frowning slightly. Rocky had one hand rubbing his temples. He was looking at her, but it was as if he truly didn't see her. Aisha understood based on her own experience that he was remembering events just as she was. He was struggling to focus and had to ask the operator to repeat herself twice so that he could record the number she gave him.

"Thanks," Rocky muttered to the operator, and pulled the phone from his ear, hitting the end call button. He turned to Aisha and smiled. She wasn't sure if he was really seeing her or not in that moment. There was something a bit juvenile and carefree in his expression. "I wouldn't," he told her, "except someone told me I had to. I believe her exact words were 'no matter where we are, or what we're doing, we'll drop everything and go to Reefside' or something to that effect."

Aisha smiled widely at him, as Rocky dialed the number that the operator gave him. Part of him was surprised when the call went to voice mail, but another part of him wasn't. He just called again. When it wasn't answered, he finally waited long enough for the beep.

"Tommy, it's Rocky. I'm assuming it's your careless fault that our memories returned in the middle of the night. But that doesn't matter. Answer the damn phone! You owe us! Oh, and Aisha's going to kick your ass for making it so painful. Call us back! Now!"

"You know, I don't think you can hear a voice message being recorded anymore," Aisha laughed. Rocky just stared at her. "So what now?" she asked him. Rocky looked back at her and shook his head.

"I meant what I said."

"Now?"

"Why not," Rocky asked her. "The kids will sleep most of the way. How fast can you pack?"

"I'll be ready to go by three. If we're doing this, I need a shower, and coffee." she laughed, throwing her arms around him. "Oh!" she stated suddenly. Rocky frowned at her, as she jumped off the bed and began rummaging through a closet.

"I thought you were going to pack?" Rocky laughed at her.

"I am!" she replied back. "A ha!" her voice was enthusiastic as she emerged from the closet. She had a shoe box of old photographs in one hand and one individual picture in the other. She brought it over and held it out to Rocky to look at. He frowned at it for a moment, studying the three teenage girls in the photo. Two wore 90s style dresses in yellow, while the third was in pink. "I've seen this before, but it was just of you and Kim."

"Billy, Ethan, and Tommy's device," Aisha replied. "It altered the way we remembered and saw things. Kira must have always been there," she stated, taking the photo back and putting it with her own cell phone. "I'm jumping in the shower."

"Alright," Rocky told her, kissing her forehead, before letting her walk away from him. "I'm calling Adam. He'll kill us if we go without him." Aisha just nodded as she walked into their bathroom. Rocky sat back down on their bed and hit the speed dial on his phone.

* * *

"Adam?" Tanya called quietly. It had been a few moments since he'd last groaned or grimaced in pain. It seemed as if the worst of it had begun to subside. Whatever it was. Now he sat quietly, hands draped over his knees, head leaned back against the body of the car. Gravel was cutting into his rear end, but that was the least of his concern. He breathed in and out deeply, almost as if he was in a meditative state. The pain was pretty much gone, but his mind was in an utter state of chaos and confusion as the two weeks of memories that had been locked away in his subconscious returned. "Adam? Please be ok," Tanya pleaded. The worry and concern in her voice registered just enough to get his attention.

"I'm alright," he muttered, but he didn't open his eyes. "Just give me a minute," he added. Tanya backed up a bit, rising back to her feet. She continued to watch him, concern evident on her face. He looked upset, but no longer in pain. Tanya bit her lip, silently begging him to open his eyes and prove to her that he was ok.

For his part, Adam battled being drowned by the thoughts that were overwhelming him. It was as if there had been a dam on his mind, and it had just burst open. No single memory lasted in the forefront for more than the brief moment it took to register that it was there. There was always something else behind it that washed it away. He took a few more deep breaths, struggling to concentrate on one memory, to find a way to stabilize his mind. Each time he thought he had one, another took its place, frustrating him to the point where he'd have to start all over. Finally he secured one, and in his mind's eye he saw himself morphing as a seventeen year old into his black ranger suit, surrounded by nine others. For a moment, he couldn't understand how he could see himself. The command center didn't have mirrors. His eyes shot open, fear, distress, and embarrassment gripping him all at once, as his face blushed a deep red. His expression was so sudden, it surprised Tanya, who yelped and leapt back a bit.

"Of all the fuckin memories to register, it had to be that one," he growled, exhaling, frustrated with himself. "I was a fuckin girl!"

"Come again?" Tanya stated, as Adam pushed himself to his feet, using the car to stabilize his body. The memory had already done a pretty good job of helping him focus on the present. He really didn't want to remember being a seventeen year old girl. Not when he was currently out with his twenty six year old fiancé. "When were you a girl?"

"Never mind," Adam told her, frowning. Suddenly he began patting his pockets, frantically, as if he was searching for something. He pulled out his cell phone and placed it on top of the car, then added his house keys and wallet to the pile. Tanya watched him, growing more confused by his erratic behavior by the moment. She barely registered it when he pulled a black and silver watch like device out of his back pocket and raised it to his mouth, pressing a button. When he got no response, he tried again, cursing under his breath. Finally, Tanya realized what he was holding.

"That is not what I think it is?" she told him, her mouth hanging open slightly. "Adam! You are not standing in the middle of a bar parking lot at one in the morning trying to contact someone using your old communicator," she told him when Adam didn't respond to her initial question. Her statement did manage to get his attention, and he blushed red yet again, mumbling a quick I'm sorry. He grabbed the stuff from his pockets off the top of the car and slid into the driver's seat. Sighing, Tanya walked around the car, and climbed in beside him, expecting him to put the key in the ignition, and begin to drive them home. However, all getting in the car had done was give Adam more privacy as he tried the communicator again.

"Answer damn it!" he cursed, growing more agitated. Tanya stared at him for a few moments before she slowly reached her hand toward him, laying it on top of his communicator and pushing it and his hand down towards his lap. She was slightly worried he was having a mental break down.

"Adam, baby," she stated, as calmly as she could manage. "Who are you even trying to reach?" Adam took a deep breath at her words, and turned to look at her, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"Tommy," he replied simply. Tanya's expression grew sad. She shook her head and leaned forward, kissing Adam on the cheek.

"Baby, he's not going to answer," she told him. "He hasn't for years. He's not going to start now."

"It's different now," Adam assured her. He took a deep breath and sighed. "It's a long story Tanya. I promise I'll explain. But I swear, it is different now."

"How do you even have that thing with you," Tanya told him, shaking her head, hoping she could get him to give what he was trying to do. Tommy had dropped off contact with all of them. Adam had fought beside him the longest, so it was the hardest for him to accept that Tommy had moved on and seemingly wanted nothing to do with any of them. She didn't want her fiancé to get hurt any more than he already had been. When Adam didn't answer she narrowed her eyes at him. "That's not all you have on you is it?" Adam sheepishly shook his head and reached into his back pocket, drawing out his morpher with the damaged frog power coin inside. Tanya raised her eyebrow at him. "Please tell me your zeonizers aren't here too," she told him. Adam smirked and shook his head.

"I keep those in my other pants," he laughed, calming down a bit. He sighed and ran his hand over his face. "Tanya," he began deciding it was time to explain, as his cell phone rang. Tanya picked it up out of the cup holder where it had fallen when they'd climbed into the car.

"Why is Rocky calling in the middle of the night?" she asked, now even more worried than she'd been a moment ago. She handed him the phone, her mind on everything that could possibly be wrong – most having to do with the kids. Adam's face split into a huge smile, realizing that he clearly wasn't the only one dealing with the influx of memories. He opened the phone and hit the speaker button.

"Hello?"

"Hey frog boy," Rocky told him. "How you holding up?" Tanya relaxed when she realized his tone wasn't signaling some type of emergency with Aisha or the kids.

"Head feels like I've been hit by a bulldozer, and I'm recalling a few things I'd really rather I could forget."

"Oh like the day you took a shower," Rocky laughed.

"Shut it!" Adam growled, but there was amusement in his eyes and in his voice. "You two alright?" Tanya was giving him a strange look as his face turned red again.

"We're both fine. Irritated with Billy, Tommy, and Ethan for not doing something to make that process smoother, but otherwise fine. Or Aisha will be once she gets the opportunity to kick one of their asses," Rocky replied. Tanya frowned at the mention of Tommy's name, as well as a name she didn't recognize. It couldn't have been a coincidence that both Adam and Rocky were bringing up Tommy all of a sudden.

"Legally, can you kick Ethan's ass? He is only seventeen."

"Oh, I have a teenager's ass to kick," Rocky replied.

"Rocky," Adam warned, though there was still laughter in his voice. He hoped his friend wasn't serious. "You hadn't even told her how you felt yet. I doubt Connor knew."

"Yeah, well, that's not the point," Rocky stated. "Anyway, you remember a certain promise we made on the moon?" Tanya was beyond confused. When had Adam ever gone to the moon?

"Drop everything, no matter what and get to Reefside," Adam stated. "I already tried his communicator," he added.

"Why didn't I think of that," Rocky replied. "No matter. He's not answering his phone either. But Aisha and I are packing. We're leaving for Reefside by three. You in?"

"Definitely," Adam replied, tossing the phone to Tanya. She caught it, but looked at him confused, as Adam put the car in drive and nearly peeled out of the parking lot.

"Are you two seriously discussing starting a seven hour drive in the middle of the night?" she asked, causing both men to laugh slightly.

"Yep," Rocky replied.

"And Aisha's cool with this?" Tanya asked, her mouth hanging open slightly.

"Technically," Adam stated, "it was her idea. She's the one that made Rocky and I promise we'd drop everything and go immediately."

"Exactly," Rocky's voice came through the speaker phone. "Be at the house by two thirty? I'll call the dojo and leave a message for Andrew. We'll leave him in charge for a few days."

"Sounds good, see you in a bit," Adam replied, signaling Tanya to hang up the phone. Rocky had already disconnected the call. "You don't have to come," he told her, realizing she was still staring at him as if he'd grown another head.

"Oh, I'm coming," Tanya told him. "And whatever the story is, it had better be a good one," she laughed.

"It's a long one," Adam told her, but he smiled, reaching over and taking her hand, glad that she was willing to come with them.

"I've got seven hours to hear it then," she replied. "It has something to do with Tommy?" she asked. Adam grinned and nodded.

"It has everything to do with Tommy," he replied. "We're going to get our friend back."


	30. Chapter 30

Tommy was woken just after seven in the morning by a slight pain in his stomach. He groaned and rolled over, watching the clock for a few moments as he tried to determine whether or not he would actually get up. Slowly, he yawned, and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, realizing he'd be asleep for well over twelve hours. The pain he felt was hunger. He sighed and slipped his legs out of the bed and sat up, stretching as he let his mind travel back over the previous day. Travel through time, kick mutant ass, sleep. He couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten. He took a deep breath and stood up, actually feeling refreshed. Aside from strange dreams that he wasn't putting any time or effort into recalling, he'd slept well.

Tommy decided that food could wait just a bit longer. He disappeared into his bathroom to take care of business and then to shower. He actually remained under the flow of the hot water for longer than he normally would have, enjoying the feeling of being home, in a familiar place, washing the dirt and grime from the last ranger battle off of his body. When he emerged from the bathroom, dressed in only a pair of clean pants, he glanced at the clock again, drying his hair with a towel. His stomach growled, as he processed that he still had about two and a half hours until he was supposed to meet up with the teenagers at ten to explain everything to Haley.

However, he paused as his mind processed the thought of Connor, Kira, Ethan, and Trent. As with any time he thought about them, his mind triggered the words team, mentee, teenager, student, leader (at least with Connor), and friend. It was the last label that caused him to pause. Sure, he'd always felt like the kids were his friends, but not in the same way that Haley was his friend. He supported them, looked out for them, cared about them. But it was in an older sibling kind of way. Suddenly there was something different to the word. He ran his hand over his face, as his mind processed the emotions he was feeling. The friendship he felt for the teenagers was suddenly that of a peer. He identified with them, more than he had ever before. It felt as if there was suddenly a deeper bond between himself and the teens. Tommy's eyes shot open as he realized why.

"Oh god," he stated, shifting through the thoughts in his head that hadn't been there before. Sure, he'd remembered the time travel. He'd remembered kicking Connor in the shin; he remembered rocking Kira as she cried; he remembered working with Ethan in the command center. He remembered fighting alongside Trent and nine other power rangers. He'd been himself then. But now, he remembered other things too. He remembered loaning Trent a white dress shirt for the dance. He remembered dancing with Kira. He remembered playing a board game with Ethan and the others as a child. He remembered sparing with Connor and almost not winning. He remembered a lot.

Immediately he began patting his waist, searching for his phone. When he came up empty, he began searching the night stands, under his pillows, in the sheets on the bed. He grabbed the clothing he'd been wearing when he woke up, having never changed for sleep and searched the pockets. He frowned, when everywhere he tried, he'd come up empty handed. "Think Tommy! This is important," he cursed himself, hands running over his face again as he searched his mind. He could remember events that apparently occurred in his life nearly a decade before, but he couldn't remember where he'd placed his cell phone less than twenty four hours ago.

It took a moment, but he finally recalled plugging his phone in down in the lab. He yanked open his bedroom door and dashed out and down the stairs to the basement, sighing with relief when he grasped his cellphone in his hand. However, before he opened it, he noticed a blinking icon on the screen of his computer. He frowned, falling into his desk chair, and clicked the button, which instantly opened the satellite video phone he'd installed with help. His face split into a grin when he saw Billy's face in the message he'd left. He turned up the volume on the computer when he realized his friend was talking.

"… _about the earlier call. I didn't realize how late or rather, early it was there. Anyway, we all made a promise. I intend to keep it. I'll be out of contact for a few days due to the travel, but I wanted you to know, I'm coming home. I'll contact you again when I get there."_

Of course Billy was coming. Never mind that he hadn't been on earth in years. Tommy fell into his computer chair and smiled, understanding exactly what must have occurred. Tommy clearly wasn't the only one with memories returned. His eyes fell to the top of his desk, where he noticed the communicator he'd left sitting there the day before. He placed his cell phone back down beside it, and picked up the wrist device, contemplating its use for a moment.

His thoughts were interrupted however when the communicator suddenly gave off its characteristic six tones. He was so startled, that he actually dropped it back down on the desk, and just stared at it blankly. It was one thing to receive a message from Billy. Even if he'd spoken to him live, he would have felt ok. He spoke to Billy periodically. But his gut knew it wasn't Billy on the other end of the communicator. Billy was out of contact. Tommy knew he would have left nearly immediately. Granted, he wasn't sure he was prepared to see him in person yet. But that was ok, he'd have a few days to get used to that idea.

The individual on the other end of the communicator however, Tommy wasn't sure of. It could have been any one of the other four and he had absolutely no idea what they were thinking or what they would say. And that scared the crap out of him. Worse than the idea of facing a fifty foot tall monster without the ability to summon his zord or even morph. Obviously at least one of his old friends was willing to forgive him enough to contact him, or at the very least, they were trying to get in touch with the dino thunder teens through him. Tommy realized, that despite his initial rush to find his phone, he just wasn't ready to have contact with them yet.

He realized he'd been holding his breath, and he slowly exhaled, moving his hand away from his communicator and to his phone, getting ready to dial Connor's number. He figured it might be time to meet up with the rest of the team. He hoped they'd be awake. He flipped the phone open, and stared in shock. There were over thirty missed calls on his phone, from three numbers he didn't recognize, starting as early as about one in the morning. He snorted a laugh. This method of contact was relatively more normal, and didn't cause him to panic. He noticed a blinking icon on the phone he'd never seen before, and using the arrow keys, he navigated to it to figure out what it meant. He cracked a smile when the message "Voicemail Full" displayed across his screen, before his voicemail began to play.

" _Tommy, it's Rocky. I'm assuming it's your careless fault that our memories returned in the middle of the night. But that doesn't matter. Answer the damn phone! You owe us! Oh, and Aisha's going to kick your ass for making it so painful. Call us back! Now!"_

Tommy couldn't help but smile at a voice he hadn't heard in years. The last time he'd heard it, it was a voicemail that had been inviting him, or rather begging him, to come to a wedding at the last minute. That was the night he'd met Haley. Tommy sighed, and hit delete, allowing the next message to play.

" _Bro, I'm serious! Answer the damn phone."_

He pressed delete.

" _Tommy, its Adam. We need to talk. Call me back when you get this."_

Based on the order of the voicemails, Tommy deduced which number was Adam's. He wrote down both numbers, along with his friends' names on a few scraps of paper he had lying on his desk. Adam's voicemail was much shorter, but his voice brought back just as many emotions. It had been longer since he'd heard it.

" _I swear to god Tommy, when I get my hands on you, you'll wish I hadn't,"_ Rocky's voice threatened in the next voicemail.

Tommy continued to hit delete. The next few voicemails went back and forth from Rocky to Adam. Adam's were relatively calm, while Rocky's varied from begging to threatening. Tommy smiled at the thought that some things never changed. He relaxed slightly as he listened, always clicking delete. It wouldn't do for his voicemail to remain full. He began to hit delete faster as the voicemails simply became repetitious. His friends didn't vary their messages much. However, a new voice came through on one of the last ones in his box.

" _Hey Tommy, its Aisha. Tell Kira I said hi. Oh, and when we do find you, I'll be the one kicking your ass. Love ya! Bye!"_

Tommy stared at the phone for a few moments, blinking and ignoring the "Delete voicemail?" question on his screen. He had absolutely no doubt that Aisha would kick his ass, or that she did still care about him. Both ideas made him grin. Just like Adam and Rocky, it was clear she still wanted him back in her life, and she cared enough to let him know what an asshole he'd been. Laughing, he hit delete and finally received a "Voicemail empty" notification. Sighing, he closed the flip phone, and glanced at the clock. It was only eight in the morning.

He contemplated calling one of the three numbers back as he programmed them into his cell phone. If he didn't, he knew he'd loose them. However, he still felt he wasn't ready. At least not until he talked to the teenagers. He owed it to them to tell them he'd gotten his memories back first. Therefore, when the phone buzzed in his hand, and he observed the display that read "Rocky DeSantos", he silenced the call and slipped the phone into his pocket. "Soon," he muttered to himself. He stood up from his desk, stretching, and glancing down. He sighed, and grabbed his communicator, and added it to his pocket, before heading up the stairs. He still needed breakfast, and he wanted a work out before he met up with the teenagers. His friends would have to wait just a few hours longer.

* * *

At about nine thirty in the morning, Tanya leaned forward in the middle seat of Rocky and Aisha's minivan so that her head was between the two front seats. Rocky was driving, Adam sitting shot gun. Aisha was in the very back of the van feeding Luke a bottle and only partially listening to Katie chatter energetically. All four adults were frowning, looking out the windows at the area around them as Rocky drove them towards a park Adam had found on a map. Everywhere they looked there was damage. Buildings were crumbling, vehicles were overturned, and litter and debris were everywhere. From their memories, this was not the Reefside that the dino thunder teenagers had described. Many parts of the city looked like a bomb had gone off.

"What do you think happened here?" Tanya asked as Rocky found a parking lot. He pulled the minivan into a spot and put the car in park.

"You don't think something's happened to Tommy and the others?" Aisha asked. Adam shrugged, but Rocky didn't answer. Unfortunately, the sights, coupled with the fact that Tommy was not answering the phone had them scared to death. They didn't doubt the universe would be cruel enough to bring them very close to being reunited as a team, only to have it snatched away at the last minute. Gazing at the destruction, it was one of the few times that they actually contemplated the mortality of a power ranger.

Tanya looked at each of her three friends, clearly reading the worry in all their faces. Over the last nearly seven hours, they'd filled her in on exactly what had caused their intense pain at one in the morning. Had Adam told her the story alone, she wasn't sure she would have believed him. However, with Aisha and Rocky confirming his story, and even adding their own small pieces of information, she was finding that she couldn't deny it. And they had indeed told her everything. Tanya now understood Adam's comment about being a girl. She'd struggled to prevent herself from cracking up laughing at the poor guy during that part of the story.

"This place looks safe enough," Rocky stated, gesturing to the fact that there seemed to be a large group of public workers cleaning up the park. "Maybe we can find something out. And Katie needs to stretch her legs," he added, peering into the rear view mirror, and smiling slightly at the sight of his daughter kicking her legs against her car seat, despite the panic in his eyes. Aisha gave him a greatful smile. The girl had been going non-stop since she'd woken up at about six thirty with only a brief thirty minute nap. No one had gotten any sleep after that, although it had contributed to their arriving in Reefside slightly early, and the drivers during the last three hours not falling asleep at the wheel.

"Hold still baby," Aisha told Katie, as Adam, Rocky, and Tanya climbed out of the car. Adam went to the trunk to pull out the stroller for Luke's car seat, while Rocky pulled the baby carrier out of the back seat. Katie held still just long enough for Aisha to release her harness. She bounced off the seat and jumped out of the car. Tanya caught her midair, laughing a bit at the giggling girl. The men had the stroller ready within a moment, and Tanya slipped Katie into the front, strapping her in, as Aisha climbed out of the back. She yawned and stretched. The four adults locked the car, and began to enter the park, Rocky pushing the stroller with the two kids. Katie, placated by all of the new sights and sounds, quieted a bit.

Adam led the way toward the nearest workers who were righting a trash can. "Excuse me," he asked the group. "We just came in from out of town. Can you tell us what happened here?"

"Monster attack," one of the workers said, nodding in response. All four rangers felt their hearts sink into their stomach. It was the answer they didn't want.

"One monster did all this?" he asked, frowning and gazing around and trying to keep the absolute terror out of his voice. Rocky, Aisha, and Tanya looked worried as well. "I thought Reefside had power rangers."

"It wasn't one monster," another of the men told them. "It was an entire army. Near a thousand or so of those strange dinosaur things. They ran a rampage for a while. We were lucky. No casualties have been reported. The people of Reefside know what to do in the case of emergency." The four former rangers faces went pale. Three of them had seen the creatures the man was referring to. Two of them had fought them only once, but it hadn't been easy. They tried to image what nearly a thousand at once would have looked like, and then of course they tried not to think about the intensity of a fight that would have occurred between them and five exhausted time traveling rangers.

"And the power rangers?" Aisha asked, fear actually gripping her. It appeared that in the ranger's absence, Mesagog had attacked Reefside with an entire army of tyrranodrones. It was exactly the scenario that the dino thunder rangers had feared would happen while they were trapped in the past. However, the man had said there were no reported casualties and they were cleaning up, no one in a panic. The monsters were nowhere to be seen. That had to be a good thing.

"We don't know what kept them away for a while. The things caused destruction for a few hours but they finally came," the first man who'd spoken about the monster attack stated. "News says the battle lasted longer than normal, but the rangers reduced the monsters' ranks to nearly one hundred before the creatures retreated."

"So Reefside is safe?" Rocky asked, finally allowing himself to breathe normally since they'd arrived. "The rangers are safe?"

"They looked tired," the second man stated with a nod. "On the news footage from the battle that was aired this morning," he added. "But yeah. Looks like they saved us again," he added. "We've got to get back to work. Sorry about the mess. We hope you enjoy your stay in Reefside."

"Thanks," Adam told the men, nodding, as he led the group away.

"Thank god," Aisha stated. Adam and Rocky nodded. They felt a lot better knowing that Tommy and his teammates were somewhere in Reefside, safe. Tired maybe, but safe. "Alright, so we're here. They're here. What now?"

The two men shrugged their shoulders. They hadn't quite thought that far. They were exhausted. Rocky and Aisha were still in the stage of napping whenever the children napped, so they had had a little sleep in the past day, but Adam and Tanya had been awake for almost twenty four hours. Still, as exhausted and she and her friends were, Tanya knew the three of them, and if she was honest with herself, her included, would not sleep until they found Tommy. They'd messed up when they let him remove himself from their lives. That ended now.

"Why don't you three go into town and see if you can find the café the teenagers told you about? Cyberspace, wasn't it?" she suggested. "I'll take the kids and let Katie run around the park a bit. She's clearly got more energy than she needs."

"You sure Tan?" Aisha asked her friend.

"Absolutely," she replied. "Come back and get us if you find the place. I want to see Tommy as well," she laughed. Aisha and Rocky smiled, Adam held her shoulders and kissed her lightly.

"We'll be back soon," Adam told her, as Aisha gave Katie and Luke each a kiss. Luke stayed sound asleep from his morning feeding. Tanya encouraged Katie to wave bye bye, and then got the girl's attention by pointing out a butterfly so her parents could slip away. She'd babysat plenty of times before, and Katie didn't often mind being separated from them.

Tanya pushed the stroller into the center of the park, away from any roads before allowing Katie to get out of her seat. She watched as the little girl with caramel colored skin, and medium colored thick brown curly hair ran around. Tanya followed her, pushing the stroller with Luke still sound asleep. Katie laughed, giggled, and shrieked. She jumped, tumbled and rolled in the grass. She ran and crawled. She chased butterflies. She exhausted herself within fifteen minutes. Tanya laughed, when she ran towards the stroller begging for "juice". Tanya then led her to a nearby bench and took a sippy cup out of diaper bag in the basket below the stroller. She'd lifted Katie onto the bench beside her, handed her the cup, and leaned back, taking in the sights and sounds of the park.

While much of the park looked like a war had occurred, the small patch where she'd found herself with the kids was pretty untouched. The grass was still green and not upturned. Most of the patrons of the park happened to be in that area. She saw families and groups of kids. She saw couples on morning strolls. But it was a familiar sound that caught her attention.

A bit in the distance, two teenagers, one wearing a white tank top and grey gym shorts with dark black hair, the second wearing a red t-shirt and red gym shorts with brown hair, were sparing using martial arts moves like the ones Adam and Rocky taught back at home. Their sounds reminded her of the sounds that often came from their dojo, or from them. They were the sounds of part of her youth – a time when the three men on her first ranger team had spent hours practicing and competing together. She smiled at the thought of them all being united again, once they found Tommy.

The teenage boys' shouts hadn't just grabbed Tanya's attention. Katie dropped her sippy cup and hopped off the bench, taking off running towards the boys, giggling as she went. Tanya muttered a curse to Rocky for having a child with more energy than he seemed to possess. She grabbed the sippy cup, tossing it into a cup holder on the stroller, and took off after the toddler, pushing Luke in the stroller. "Katie, you little monkey," she called. "Get back here."

The two teenagers heard the sounds of the giggling toddler approaching, and stopped their sparing, almost on instinct. The little girl ignored the strange looks the two teenagers gave her, as she dashed toward the one in red. She flung her body at him, wrapping her arms around his leg as Tanya chased after her, calling out her name. Katie ignored her. "Daddy Ranger!" she giggled, tilting her head up and grinning at the teenager. Both teenagers looked at each other with wide eyes.

"I'm so sorry," Tanya stated, finally reaching them. She wrapped her hand gently around Katie's arm and pried the two year old off of the teenagers' leg. "Katie's dad is a martial artist. He wears a lot of red. So she's kind of at a stage where anyone wearing red and doing martial arts is automatically 'daddy'," Tanya stated with a smile, lifting Katie up and placing the giggling girl in her seat. She purposely left out an explanation for the word ranger, hoping the two teenagers wouldn't pay much attention to it.

"That's alright," the teenager in red told her, an awkward smile on his face. He shot his companion another looked. Tanya smiled back at both of them.

"Katie, you know good and well this nice boy is not your daddy. What do you say we go find him, huh?" Tanya asked the girl, kneeling down in front of the stroller. Katie nodded, and let Tanya strap her into her seat. Once she was done, Tanya turned back to the two teenagers. "Sorry we interrupted your practice."

"It's perfectly fine. We needed to get going anyway," the boy in white told her. Tanya nodded, and turned the stroller in the opposite direction, heading back towards the parking lot. She hoped that her friends were on their way back. She didn't notice the direction that the two teenagers had walked off in.

"You're back," she called out when she saw that Aisha, Adam, and Rocky had in fact returned.

"We were just coming to find you," Aisha told her, a smile on her face. "Were they any trouble?"

Tanya grinned and shook her head, casting a quick glance at the giggling toddler who was reaching out toward Rocky, opening and closing her palms. "None at all. Lukey slept the whole time," she added. "Did you find it?" she asked, as Rocky unstrapped Katie and picked her up, hugging her, and carrying her back to the car, while Adam took over the stroller for Tanya.

"We did," he confirmed. "But, they're closed. We didn't look for a sign with the times, so we figured we'd head back over there once more before finding a hotel. You good with that?"

"Absolutely," Tanya smiled, as the group got the children into the car and climbed in themselves.

* * *

Connor and Trent walked in silence for a few moments, contemplating what had just happened in the park. "You don't think?" Trent started, but Connor caught on to his line of thinking before he'd barely gotten the words out.

"Couldn't be," Connor stated. "They don't remember anything. We'd have known if they were somewhere in Reefside before this whole mess."

"Are you sure?"

"No," Connor sighed. "I don't know. Maybe?" he laughed. He was so beyond confused. The two teenagers reached Cyberspace just after ten in the morning and let themselves in. "Sorry we're late," Connor stated as he and Trent walked into Cyberspace through the back door. Kira, Ethan, Haley, and Tommy were already there, sitting around on the sofas, each with a drink in hand.

"No problem," Tommy replied as the two boys grabbed the glasses Haley had left for them on the counter, and joined the group on the sofas. Trent fell into the seat beside Kira, their bodies touching instantly. "But you made Haley wait for an explanation."

"Not really," Haley laughed. Tommy frowned at her, not understanding. "I made them tell me yesterday while you were catching up on your beauty sleep," she added in. She'd promised the teenagers she wouldn't rat them out, and therefore put the blame solely on herself. Tommy looked at her in surprise, the teenagers falling into laughter. Kira cuddled up against Trent. Haley gave them a look, still having trouble understanding that while for her it had only been a few hours, the teens had been gone for two weeks. Plenty of time for their relationship to become a lot more physical. "Ok, you two are still weirding me out though," Haley told them. Kira blushed but didn't move.

"Sorry Haley," Trent told her, but made no effort to actually change his position. Tommy rolled his eyes at them and looked at Haley.

"They told you everything?" he asked her.

"We left out a few embarrassing details, Dr. O," Ethan replied, leaning forward on his knees. Tommy shook his head and removed the grey jacket he'd thrown on that morning over a black t-shirt. He folded the jacket and draped it over the arm rest of the sofa he sat on. He then gave Ethan a smile in thanks.

"You have any questions?" Tommy asked Haley, a grin on his face.

"A few," Haley stated. "But they can wait till the kids aren't around," Haley added with a laugh and Tommy paled. He didn't think he was going to like her line of questioning. Still, he nodded once. "Speaking of kids," Haley added. "Where were you two this morning? You don't look like you just rolled out of bed?"

Connor and Trent both blushed red. Kira and Ethan frowned at their reaction. Neither boy volunteered an answer. "Well?" Kira asked, nudging Trent with her elbow. Based on their avoidance, she was now curious as well. She raised her eyebrow at Trent.

"We were in the park," Trent stated.

"Sparing," Connor added in.

"Run that by me again?" Tommy asked them, his mouth falling open slightly. "Are you telling me you willingly went to the park early in the morning to practice?" Both teenagers blushed a deeper red when they realized their two teenage teammates were grinning. Even Haley was laughing at them. "So apparently, all I need to do to get you to practice is send you back in time for a while. Good to know," Tommy stated, leaning back on the sofa and placing his hands behind his head, and triumphant grin on his face.

"You were seriously sparing?" Ethan asked, laughter in his voice.

"We got used to it. When it's not forced on us," Connor stated, pointedly looking at his science teacher, "it's actually fun."

"Glad you learned something during our trip," Tommy told him. He reached for his drink and took a sip, before setting it down. "Alright, all joking aside, I have something I need to tell you four."

"Should I go?" Haley asked, as the teenagers sat forward, looks of interest on their faces. Tommy shook his head.

"No," he told her. "You can stay. It'll probably impact you as well," he stated, feeling his cellphone vibrate against his leg again. He wasn't going to be able to get away with ignoring their calls for much longer. He looked around at each of the five faces surrounding him and then sighed. "When I woke up this morning, I remembered you."

"Um… Dr. O," Connor stated. "I'm glad. I remember you too," he added, looking at his teacher like he'd cracked. Tommy glared at him.

"No stupid," Kira stated, a grin breaking out on her face. "He's saying he remembers. Like he remembers meeting us when he was seventeen."

"Really?" Trent asked, smiling. Tommy sighed and nodded, a slight grin on his face as well.

"That's awesome! And weird," Ethan laughed.

"You don't know the half of it. It's like I know you four differently," Tommy explained. Haley frowned, trying to understand what he was explaining to the teenagers. He wasn't doing a good job, as he barely understood his feelings himself. "I remember the events differently. Some of the memories feel old, having happened to me nine years ago, while the other view point of the same event feels new. At least you only have to remember things once."

"So when did your memories return?" Haley asked him.

Tommy shrugged. "I think in the middle of the night," he explained. "Around one in the morning." He didn't explain how he knew the approximate time. They didn't ask.

"Why didn't the device unlock the memories as soon as we got back yesterday? We didn't build in a time delay," Ethan asked him. He was genuinely curious, and completely happy that a device he'd helped to create had actually functioned well.

"I have a theory on that," Tommy explained, leaning forward again and putting his fingertips together, his elbows resting on his knees. "I remember the day you left now. I mean, I remember it differently. We," he stated, pointing to the teenagers and himself, "left around quarter to four in the afternoon. That's when my old team, and myself got knocked out by the device. We all woke up at home about twelve hours later. Zordon must have teleported us back. When we asked him about it, he sighted some really rough monster battle. Our minds compensated for it."

"So the drug that knocked them all out," Connor asked, still having a hard time including Tommy in that group, "was concentrated enough to last twelve hours."

"And while they remained unconscious, the device couldn't unlock your memories. So, twelve hours later, when they regained consciousness, the memories were allowed to return," Ethan tried to explain what Tommy was suggesting in a way everyone could understand.

"It's a theory," Tommy stated, nodding and standing up. He stretched again.

"Are you the only one?" Kira asked. Tommy paused, his smile faltering slightly. He knew exactly why she was asking him that question. He sighed and shook his head.

"Billy's on his way," Tommy replied, with a tiny smile. The faces of the teenagers brightened even more, though he hadn't thought that was possible. "It'll take him a few days to get here."

"Billy's coming here?" Haley asked him, surprise and shock on her face. In that moment, she truly realized how big this was. She'd spoken to Billy before. Knew that Tommy was still in contact with him. And she knew exactly where Billy made his home. The fact that he was willing to travel to reunite with his friend was huge.

"Yep, he left me a video message this morning" Tommy laughed at her expression. "It'll take a few days for him to travel from Aquitar."

"Dr. O," Connor interrupted, looking confused. "I'm no geography expert, but that doesn't sound like any place I've ever heard of."

"That's because you haven't," Tommy told him. "Aquitar is not on earth."

"Billy's on another planet?" Ethan asked, his eyes going wide. "The only ranger from your past that you stayed in contact with is on another freaking planet?" Tommy shrugged. "You do have issues," Ethan laughed.

Tommy just smirked in response. "Be back. Nature calls."

"Didn't need to know that," Kira laughed, as he disappeared. Haley shook her head and wandered in the back room to begin preparations for opening that afternoon. The four teenagers fell into conversations, chatting excitedly about what Tommy's memories returning meant for them. Their conversation however was interrupted by six familiar tones emanating from the pocket of the jacket Tommy had left on the sofa. The teens all jumped, and then Ethan, Trent, and Kira stared at it. Connor however, lunged towards it, searching from the device that had made the sound.

"What are you doing?" Kira asked him.

"What does it look like?" Connor replied back. "Someone's got to answer it," he added, with a grin as he came up triumphant. Ethan, Kira, and Trent exchanged looks but then shrugged. The supposed their leader had a point, and if not, they could blame it all on him later. Connor pressed the button he'd watched the angel grove teens push for the last two weeks and spoke into the device. "Dr. O's communicator, this is Connor. Go ahead," he laughed.

"Connor?" the voice on the other end asked, almost in disbelief.

"Adam!" Kira laughed, coming closer to her leader.

"Wow. Wasn't expecting you guys! Listen, Cyberspace is closed. How are we supposed to find you?"

"You're here?" Ethan laughed, his eyes going wide. Trent immediately jumped over the back of the sofa he'd been on, and raced toward the front door. In his excitement, his hands fumbled with the lock.

"Trent's coming to let you in," Connor stated. The communication ended, and he placed the device on the coffee table in front of the sofa, before joining Kira and Ethan who were catching up to Trent as he finally got the locks open. He opened the door and moved aside to let him in. Connor stood, with Kira and Ethan beside him, smiling.

"I can't believe you're here!" Kira squealed, when a man walked in carrying a baby carrier. He was dressed in mostly black, and aside from hair style and facial hair, and the fact that his muscles were a bit thicker, Adam was completely recognizable. She ran forward and hugged him around the neck. He hugged her back with his free hand. "Oh my god," she laughed, releasing him, and noticing the baby carrier. Her eyes went wide. "Yours?" she asked.

"Oh god no," Adam laughed back, shaking his head. He glanced over his shoulder as three more adults following him inside past Trent.

"He's mine," a familiar feminine voice spoke up. Kira grinned, looking past Adam to where Aisha was hugging Trent at the door, both rangers grinning. When Aisha released him, she practically ran towards Kira, throwing her arms around her. "How have you been?"

"It's only been a day since we last saw you guys," Ethan added, moving forward to shake hands with Adam. Connor's eyes were following the second man in the group who was wearing red and carrying the little girl from the park.

"Yeah, well, it's been nine years for us," Adam replied with a grin. "Give us a break."

Rocky stepped around Adam and Ethan and walked up to Connor, a smirk on his face. Connor's grin faltered slightly, and he nervously ran his hand through his hair, his eyes falling on the former red ranger's muscular arms.

"Connor," Rocky stated simply, inclining his head slightly.

"Please don't hurt me," Connor squeaked back, his eyes darting to Aisha and the two children before returning back to Rocky's face. "I swear I didn't know."

Rocky burst out laughing, shaking his head. Adam grinned, and Aisha hit Rocky, who was brushing the tears out of his eyes from laughing so hard. "Oh man, that was worth it," Rocky stated, catching his breath.

"There was nothing to know Connor," Aisha told him. "Rocky and I weren't together at the time," she added in. "Your attention was appreciated and wanted." Rocky frowned at her but looked back at Connor and nodded, extending the hand that was not holding the small child.

"I won't kill you," Rocky laughed. "You didn't screw anything up; if anything, you helped," Rocky added. Connor sighed in relief and nodded, allowing a smile to return to his face. He took Rocky's hand and both pulled each other into a hug.

"Um… you all forget about me?" the second female in the group asked, coming up beside Adam. Trent had closed the door behind her, but hadn't given her a second thought. The teenagers all looked at her, frowning. Connor and Trent realized where they'd seen her, but Kira spoke first.

"Oh," Kira stated. "I'm sorry. We just… um…," she didn't know where to start. This situation was weird. Especially for outsiders.

"It's alright," Adam told Kira, wrapping his free arm around the woman's shoulders. "She knows," he added, "and she's one of us." The teenagers knew exactly what 'one of us' meant. Kira's face broke into a smile.

"I'm Tanya," the woman stated, offering her hand out to Kira, who shook it.

"Kira," she stated. "This is Ethan, Connor, and Trent," she pointed to each of the boys on her team in turn.

"You were a ranger with Dr. O?" Ethan asked her.

"Who?" Tanya laughed.

"That's what they call Tommy," Rocky told her, shifting the little girl he held into his other arm. "And she was the yellow Zeo ranger with me, Adam, Tommy, and Kat. You haven't met Kat right?" he directed that second part of his statement to the teenagers.

"Not in the past and not in the present," Connor laughed. Rocky nodded and the little girl in his arms giggled and pointed at him.

"Daddy ranger!" she giggled. Rocky, Aisha, and Adam all gave the girl strange looks while Tanya laughed. Connor blushed and laughed as well.

"Well, now we know what the 'ranger' part meant," Trent stated with a laugh.

"What are we missing?" Aisha asked them, looking from her daughter to Connor.

"Katie got away from me at the park when she saw two boys sparing. She saw the red, and latched onto Connor's leg," Tanya explained. "Called him 'Daddy Ranger', too. I wondered why they didn't question the 'ranger' part. This explains it."

"Daddy Ranger," Katie squealed, wrapping her arms around Rocky's neck and burying her face in it. She sat back up and used her small hands to squish his cheeks together. She then turned and pointed at Connor. "Daddy ranger too!"

"Perceptive little thing, isn't she," Ethan asked. "Daddy is apparently synonymous with 'red'."

"Good thing Dr. O doesn't wear red anymore," Trent laughed.

"Trent?" a new voice called, as a woman walked back into the room from a swinging door behind the counter. She paused, observing the space around her. "Um… hello," she stated, not quite sure what was going on. "Trent, you do know we don't open till noon, right?" she asked, looking at the teenager for a moment. All four of the teenagers laughed at her, while Trent ran his hand through his hair.

"Haley," Trent stated. "These are Dr. O's friends," he stated, stressing the last word of the sentence.

"Friends?" Haley squeaked out, stunned.

"Friends might be pushing it," Rocky stated, a bit of bitterness in his voice.

"Let's just go with we're you're friends right now," Aisha added in. She walked over to Haley and extended her hand to Haley. "Connor and the others told us a lot about you. It's nice to meet you, finally."

"You too," Haley stated, blinking and shaking Aisha's. Her words were friendly, but her expression clearly betrayed her concern over the situation. She had a feeling Tommy didn't know they were on their way, let alone here. Considering the condition he'd been in the last time he'd had any contact with his old Angel Grove friends, Haley wasn't sure that their being in Cyberspace now was a great idea. "How did, um… guys, want to explain how they contacted you?" All four teenagers looked like they'd been caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Haley's eyes swept the room, taking in the four adults and two tiny children she didn't know, as well as the four teenagers, before they fell on the communicator on the coffee table. "Connor! You didn't!"

"How'd you know it was me?" Connor protested at the same time as a second new voice joined the group, its male owner coming out of the bathroom.

"What didn't or did Connor do now?" Tommy asked. "And why is it so loud in here," he added, "Haley did you open early?" He drastically left a space between the two syllables of the last word, his voice trailing off at the end of his question. His eyes fell on the four new individuals in the room that were roughly his age. His eyes went wide and his mouth fell open. The room went silent, and for a moment if seemed as if time was standing still, as he fought to process what was happening in front of him. His eyes followed as the man in red handed a small child to one of the women in yellow before the man walked the last few feet towards him. He had an unreadable expression on his face. Tommy took a deep inhale, and met his eyes.

"Rocky, I…" before he could finish whatever it was that he was going to say, Rocky drew his arm back and punched him in the face, causing him to stumble backwards.

* * *

Hope you didn't think it would all be hugs and smiles immediately. There's definitely some issues that need getting over.

I know one question might be: why didn't Connor and Trent realize things in the park - remember, as a reader, you know more than the characters. The boys still didn't know that Tommy had his memories back, add to this the fact that Connor knows Rocky and Aisha are supposed to be together in the future (this is what Tommy told him after their ages were returned to normal in the cabin that caused him to believe he was going to die), he assumed that Tanya, whom he had never met, was Katie's mother. Although the child said 'ranger', everything else the teenagers knew outweighed that fact and therefore they could not come to a strong conclusion.

Ok, so anyway, hope you enjoyed. Reviews are greatly appreciated and loved. And if sent while signed in, get replies.

Fateless


	31. Chapter 31

I got a bit ahead (chapters 32-33 are finished - need some editing, and chapter 34 is almost done), so I figured I'd give everyone chapter 31 as a happy hump day present. 32 will probably go up Friday as the start of the weekend marathon posting that I tend to do. Hope you all enjoy.

* * *

"Rocky!" Both Aisha and Tanya shouted at the exact same time. Adam's eyes flew open, but he didn't make any move to stop his friend. Besides, he had Luke. His hands were full. Granted, he could have put the infant carrier down. But part of him honestly felt Rocky's actions were warranted.

"Whoa!" Haley shouted, her face falling into a glare at the man in red. The teenagers watched in surprise as she dashed around the counter, trying to get to Tommy and his attacker. No one, including his old 'friends' hit Tommy in front of her. Tommy had barely stood back up, rubbing his jaw with his hand when Haley pressed her way in between them, her back to Tommy, glaring at Rocky, her hands on her hips. "Not in here. Not ever!" she yelled.

"Haley," Tommy stated calmly, his eyes locking onto the man in front of him who was glaring, but had stepped back slightly at Haley's arrival. "Leave him alone," Tommy continued. "I deserved that."

"You deserve a hell of a lot more," Rocky told him over Haley's shoulder, anger in his voice. "But I'll let that cover, oh let's see: dropping off the face of the earth, losing contact with everyone, letting Connor make out with my wife," Rocky began listing, his volume elevating.

"What?" Haley stated breaking her glare and looking around Rocky at a now blushing seventeen year old red ranger. The teenagers may have told Haley about their trip, but they hadn't given her every detail.

Rocky ignored her and continued to list, now counting off on his fingers, "Getting us all turned into rug rats, getting my hopes up about going to the moon again, not answering your phone or communicator, missing my wedding, and the birth of my kids!" he finished with a shout. He was glaring full on at Tommy now; everyone else behind him was silent. Aisha, Tanya, and Adam were all slightly impressed with Rocky's explosion. The four teenagers actually looked scared. The man they saw was not the Rocky they remembered. Well, except maybe for Connor.

"Kids?" Tommy asked, confused, although his face clearly showed that he was ashamed. Rocky gave him a sarcastic snort of laughter, and shook his head, turning his back on Tommy. There was so much Tommy had missed. So much about their lives that he didn't know. It infuriated Rocky. He faced Aisha, Adam, and Tanya, his hands on his hips giving them a look that clearly asked 'can you believe him?' Only when his eyes fell on Katie in Aisha's arms, did he sigh, allowing himself to calm a bit. The little girl had her face contorted in a pout and she looked as if she were about to cry.

"This was a bad idea," Rocky stated, slumping his shoulders. He turned back to face Tommy, his expression strange. Tommy couldn't tell what Rocky was thinking in that moment. All he did know was that the sounds he'd heard while he was in the bathroom sounded happy. The moment he'd walked into the room, the atmosphere had immediately shifted. He was clearly the cause of the tension, not that he blamed them. "We shouldn't have come. Someone clearly doesn't want to hear from us." Until he'd seen Tommy, he was sure he could have forgiven his friend and mend their relationship. Now, seeing him again, realizing that Tommy didn't even know about the most important aspects of his life, he wasn't so sure that forgiveness on either end was entirely possible.

"That's not true," Tommy retorted, using his hand to slide Haley out from in between the two of them. She still hadn't stopped being his body guard, and was definitely not pleased about what was happening. He wasn't sure what was going to happen next, but he didn't want her to get hurt, or for Rocky to be the barer of her temper. He knew what Haley was capable of when she got angry.

"Oh really," Rocky snapped at him, his anger flaring again. "Check you phone lately?" Tommy didn't reply. He did however, maintain eye contact.

"How come Connor's the one who finally answered your communicator?" Adam finally added in. He'd set Luke's carrier down on the floor near Aisha and began to walk towards Rocky and Tommy. His anger wasn't as evident as Rocky's but it was definitely there.

"I've got no excuse for either of you," Tommy stated, shaking his head and casting his eyes to the ground. He was cursing himself for leaving his communicator where Connor and the rest of his current team could find it. "I fucked up."

"Again," Adam told him. Tommy exhaled sharply, but looked up and nodded, looking from Adam's eyes to Rocky's, desperately searching for some type of forgiveness. He didn't find it. "You do know why we're here," Adam told him, rather than asked. Still Tommy nodded the affirmative, casting his gaze at the four teenagers in the room. He'd figured there was a distinct possibility that his old teammates would only be trying to reach him in order to find Connor and the others. They wouldn't have taken the promise they'd made lightly.

"I'm glad you came," Tommy told them. "For them," he added.

"You idiot," Aisha finally stated handing Katie to Tanya, walking up to him. The little girl was still pouting, but hadn't yet begun to cry. Haley glared at her as she walked passed. She didn't like that Tommy was slowly being surrounded by a team of former rangers who might actually want to kick his ass. One of them had already started, and she had a feeling they might actually be capable of it, since clearly, Tommy was not going to fight back. "We didn't just come here for them," she added, glaring back at Haley with a look that clearly read, back off.

"Haley," Tommy stated again, following the visual exchange from the two women. "Seriously," he told her. "It's alright. I'm alright."

"If they hit you again," Haley started.

"You'll what?" Aisha said. "Lady, really, you don't want to mess with me. Powers or not, I can kick your ass too."

"Oh please," Haley scoffed. "I'd like to see you try."

"Well," Connor stated, racing forward between the two women. He used his arms to keep them both apart. "This has escalated a bit quickly, don't you think?"

"Yeah," Trent added in, grabbing hold of Haley's arm and pulling her away from Aisha. "I think I'd rather be fighting Zeltrax than be here," he added in. He didn't release Haley.

"You guys are friends," Kira stated. "Remember?" She looked at the three individuals surrounding Tommy.

"Friends don't kick each other's asses," Ethan stated, looking pointedly at Rocky.

"Who said we're friends?" Rocky retorted without taking his gaze off Tommy.

"I definitely deserve that," Tommy stated with a nod. He sighed and sat down on the arm rest of the nearest sofa. "Go ahead then," he added. "Let me have it. Say what you need to," Tommy told them, looking resigned at the three surrounding him, and the forth who still stood by the counter, supporting the small two year old girl seated on it. "I won't stop you," he added in, his face showing true remorse. When they didn't reply, he continued. "I never should have distanced myself from you. Our little trip back in time reminded me of that. Trust me, there's nothing you can say that I haven't already said to myself. You can't kick my ass worse than I've already been doing for the last two weeks."

Adam, Rocky, and Aisha stared at him blankly for a moment, before casting looks at one another. They hadn't expected Tommy to cave in so quickly. They honestly hadn't expected him to concede guilt at all. If this conversation had taken place without the time travel in between, there was a distinct chance Tommy never would have accepted the blame. Finally, Adam sighed and shook his head. "Next time just answer the damn phone," he told Tommy, letting a small grin break out on his face.

"Hitting you made me feel better," Rocky added in with a smirk.

"I'm only not beating the shit out of you because my kids are here," Aisha stated, glaring at him, with a small smile on her face. "Consider yourself lucky." She did however hit him on the shoulder.

"I swear to Zordon that I do," Tommy laughed, his face settling into an expression of relief, rubbing the spot where Aisha's hand had struck. He knew it wasn't over, but at least the tension in the room had begun to dissipate. The teenagers began to relax slightly as well. They weren't comfortable with their new friends being so clearly upset with their teammate.

"Tommy?" Haley asked, looking unsure at the rest of the adults in the room. "You care to explain the rules to these people?" Despite everyone else relaxing, she was not happy. These people were partially responsible for the mess of the man she'd had to help put back together and Haley didn't forgive easily.

Everyone turned to look at her. "Sorry," Tommy muttered, looking at his friend sheepishly. "Guys, this is Haley's place. Whatever she says, goes." Rocky and Adam nodded, and Aisha sighed.

"Sorry," Aisha told her simply. Haley gave the three of them appraising looks for a few moments, but then nodded once. If Tommy was ok with them being there, she could be, at least until she figured out if they were going to cause more harm than good.

"Daddy Ranger no hit," Katie stated from her seat on the counter between Tanya's hands. Everyone turned to look at the small girl whose face was clearly determined to get her point across. She was shaking a finger at them. At that point, all the last traces of tension and discomfort slowly disappeared from the room, as several of the rangers present began to laugh.

"Daddy Ranger?" Tommy asked, raising an eyebrow at Rocky who laughed and shook his head, as the two finally gripped hands and hugged one another. When he released, Adam moved forward to hug him as well. Aisha fetched Katie off the counter and carried her over, handing her to Rocky, who shifted her so she could see Tommy's face.

"Rocky here thought it would be a good idea to boast about his past to her every day," Aisha told Tommy, wrapping one arm around his waist. He returned the hug by wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "Now we can't get her to stop saying 'ranger'. I'm just glad she doesn't throw 'power' in front of it. He learned his lesson, so I don't think he'll do the same with Luke."

Katie was studying Tommy, one arm wrapped around Rocky's neck. She looked around the room, her eyes falling on Adam for a minute. "Uncky Ranger," she stated, pointing at Adam, before immediately turning back to Tommy. "Uncky Ranger, too! Daddy Ranger no hit," she insisted, looking at Rocky. Adam burst out laughing as Rocky turned a bright shade of red.

"You tell him, monkey," Adam stated, tears rolling down his face from laughing so hard. "That girl is perceptive," he added in, as Tanya picked up Luke's car seat and walked over to him, wrapping one arm around him. Tommy stared at them for a moment trying to figure out why she was hanging on him. He caught sight of the ring on her finger. Now he was confused by two things.

"She's two," Aisha stated, reading Tommy's confused look. "The one thing she knows well is her colors," she indicated the fact that Adam and Tommy were both mostly clad in black. She reached back towards Rocky, taking Katie back from him. "That's right Katie. Tommy is another Uncle Ranger, just like Uncle Adam."

"Two?" Tommy asked Rocky, who nodded.

"Some things are more important than going to the moon," he added in. Tommy gave him a smile and a nod, looking up at the one ranger in the room who hadn't yelled at him yet and was still attached to Adam's side.

"Hey Tanya," he stated simply. Tanya grinned back at him.

"Hey yourself. Dropped off the planet for a while, huh?"

"Sorry about that," he stated, running his hand through his hair.

"You can explain yourself later," she told him with a smile. "Right now, I'm exhausted."

"What time did you all leave? Where were you?"

"Angel Grove," Adam told him. "You knew that," he added in, a bit of irritation at his former leader in his voice. Tommy nodded. Of course that's where they were. Rocky had started their dojo as soon as they'd graduated high school. Adam had joined him when they transferred the turbo powers.

"You drove seven hours to get here. You must have started at like three am."

"We take our promises seriously," Aisha stated, with a yawn. Now that Tanya had mentioned it, the adrenaline rush that seeing the teenagers and Tommy had given her was beginning to wear off. "Had to make sure we kept them."

"I seem to recall you promising an hour, tops," Kira laughed at her.

"Rocky said thirty minutes," Connor added in. Both rangers were now grinning at their older color counter parts.

"Hey, we were still stupid kids like you," Rocky defended himself. "We didn't know we wouldn't be able to teleport anymore. We got here as fast as possible. Traveling with children is not easy."

"Aisha, how do you manage three of them?" Tommy asked her, letting his guard down slightly to tease his friend. Rocky glared at him. Aisha set Katie down on the floor of Cyberspace.

"In all seriousness, now that we know you're all ok," Adam stated. "We should go find a place to stay. It's been a while since any of us had real sleep."

"Why wouldn't we be ok?" Ethan asked, slightly surprised by Adam's statement. He frowned, looking at his teammates, and taking a physical inventory of them. Arms and legs and all other appendages appeared to be in the right place. No one was bleeding out in front of him.

"Well, first there's the pain from our memories returning," Rocky stated, looking at Tommy who frowned.

"Pain?" both he and Ethan asked. Ethan began thinking back over the device they'd created. Tommy was confused as he didn't recall any pain accompanying the unlock.

"Seriously?" Adam asked. "It took me off my feet. Aisha and Rocky, too. How could you have forgotten that?"

"What were you doing at the time?" Ethan asked the four of them.

"Adam and I had just left a concert. We were in the parking lot," Tanya told the teenager.

"We'd just gotten Luke to bed," Rocky stated, looking over at his son where Tanya had set his carrier down. The baby remained asleep.

"I was asleep," Tommy stated.

"That explains it. Sleeping protected your mind," Ethan stated to Tommy and then turned to the others. "We didn't think to make sure that the memory influx was gentle. So those who were conscious had to deal with the memories returning all at once. Dr. O was asleep," he explained, "so the memories poured in more slowly in the form of dreams."

"Lucky," Aisha stated, glaring at Tommy again. "Remind me to kick you for that later too," she added through a yawn.

"We should have thought that through better. I'm just glad none of you were doing anything that could have gotten you hurt, like driving," Tommy stated, feeling a bit sick at the thought.

"Morphing grid protects us again," Adam stated, a little pale too. If he and Tanya hadn't stopped to talk after the concert, there was a good chance he could have been.

"Well, that explains your concern over Dr. O," Trent asked them. "But why worry about us?"

"We saw the city, and the park," Rocky told them. "What happened? The cleanup crew told us there was a major monster attack."

"Oh," Connor said. "That little thing."

"Little?" Haley asked him, raising her eyebrow. She was perched on a sofa armrest, taking every interaction in. She hadn't said much, but she'd been observing everything. She wasn't tactless. She'd talk to Tommy alone. "You call nearly getting your asses handed to you by hundreds of tyrannodrones little?"

"They weren't exaggerating?" Tanya asked the teenagers. She didn't know the teenagers, but she remembered what it was like in uniform. And the idea of hundreds of minions to fight at once was scary. And she'd had a six ranger team.

"Don't forget Elsa," Ethan added in with a laugh, shaking his head no.

Connor grinned and shook his head. "Yeah, well. Alright, we did have a really tough battle." His teammates glared at him. "More than tough. We were a bit worried we might not make it," he conceded. The former rangers looked at the five current ones, worry etched in their faces.

"It's alright," Tommy told them. "We're here, aren't we?" he asked them. His statement didn't do a whole lot to ease their concern. "Mesagog won't try it again. We'll have time to recuperate," he added in. At his statement, his four friends realized that he and the teenagers were covered in scrapes and bruises, testaments to the battle they'd fought the day before. There concerned looks on their faces deepened. After all, despite the comradery they all felt, the current rangers were teenagers, while they were adults. Worry came with the territory.

"We're fine, really," Kira stated, giving Aisha a smile, and reading the exhaustion in the older woman's eyes. "Why don't we show you guys to a hotel? You should all catch up on sleep."

"Yeah," Trent added in. "You shouldn't have exhausted yourselves because of a little promise."

"We're glad you did though," Connor told them, before they could protest.

"Will the kids let you sleep?" Tommy asked his friends. Rocky and Aisha cast a look at Katie who was spinning in circles randomly like any small toddler who was bored and had quite a bit of energy.

"Uh," Rocky started, running his hand over his face. Luke had been asleep since his bottle around nine thirty, and Katie had already had a morning nap after her initial wake up at six thirty. There was no way either child was going to let their parents get anywhere near the amount of sleep they needed.

"We'll take turns," Aisha stated defeated.

"Oh," Kira said, "Let us babysit?" she offered. Trent and Ethan were both nodding.

"I don't know. Luke's still really little, and Katie doesn't take to just anyone" Aisha stated. Katie chose that moment to run over to Connor and tug on his shirt. Connor knelt down, a questioning look on his face. She threw her arms around his neck.

"Daddy Ranger!" she squealed, as Connor turned pale. Even Rocky had to laugh at the toddler.

"Let the rangers watch them," Adam told Aisha, placing his hands on her shoulders from behind and moving her toward the door. "We all need sleep."

"What if there's an attack?" Aisha asked.

"I'll open an invisiportal straight into your hotel room," Haley told her. She might not have been thrilled about the situation, but these people clearly needed sleep and the teenagers really wanted to help.

"Invis-what?" Tanya asked.

"Invisiportal. It's our method of getting around quickly when needed. Not as convenient as teleporting," Tommy told her. "But it gets the job done in an emergency."

"And you're ok with this?" Rocky asked him, a concerned look on his face. Tommy sighed and nodded. He understood why his friends had reservations. There were multiple reasons, and unfortunately the chief among them was not that the babysitters could be called away to fight mutant dinosaur evil at any moment. Instead, the chief concern was Tommy's involvement. They still didn't forgive him for abandoning them completely. He didn't blame them.

"You heard the girl," Tommy told him with a smile. "I'm 'uncky ranger too'."

"Alright then," Aisha stated with a nod. "Lead the way to the nearest place with beds," she stated, allowing Kira to lead the group out of Cyberspace.

* * *

Tommy glanced around his living room, slightly unsettled by what he saw. Ethan and Connor sat on the floor forming a triangle with a caramel skin colored toddler that reminded him way too much of Rocky. The three were rolling a ball back and forth between them, both boys grinning while Katie giggled constantly. Kira sat on the sofa, holding baby Luke. His skin was slightly darker than his sister's and his hair was jet black, although it had more of the same texture as his father's. The baby was nursing a bottle. Trent stood behind the sofa, leaning over the back, talking to Kira. He was not exactly comfortable seeing the young ranger couple with a baby, even though it wasn't theirs.

"We need to talk," Haley's voice interrupted his thoughts, and Tommy just nodded, without turning to face her.

"I'll be right back," Tommy stated to the teenagers. Connor gave him thumbs up, but none of the others even acknowledged him. He shook his head at them and followed Haley down the stairs into the basement. Haley took a seat on a sofa, while Tommy went to his desk where he knew he could pick up random items to keep his hands busy.

"I don't even know where to start," Haley stated, exhaling after they'd sat in silence for a few moments, Haley staring at him, while Tommy studied a paper weight he'd grabbed. "Two weeks in Angel Grove in the past."

"Yeah."

"You reconnected with them?" Haley asked.

"Sort of," he stated. "I did all the reconnecting. They were already connected to my younger self. Does that make sense?" he asked, looking up, unsure of it himself.

"A little," Haley confirmed. "Want to elaborate?"

Tommy sighed. Part of him really didn't, but the other part of him was desperate for this conversation. He needed Haley to put this into perspective. "I watched their friendships. I remembered what they used to mean to me. How happy I was when they were in my life."

"And you want that back?" she asked him, calmly crossing her arms over her chest.

"I honestly don't know."

"You do remember the hell you went through right?" Haley asked raising an eyebrow, despite the fact that the volume of her voice remained steady, her tone indicated she was truly scolding him. "You remember your drunken stupor days? You ready to relive that if things don't go the way you want? Because I sure as hell am not. You do remember what you told me right? Your reasoning for isolating yourself from them?" Tommy stared at her blankly. "Seriously? I know you haven't forgotten that."

"I was worried they'd be in danger," Tommy replied, still playing with the paper weight.

"And you weren't a ranger during college. You were just scared that your so called morphing grid gods were out to get you."

"I know," Tommy told her, sighing.

"You are aware that you now have power again? And Mesagog is out for your head?" she added. Tommy sighed and nodded. Of course he knew that. And the idea of letting his old friends back in while he was under active attack scared him to death. There were even two additional little lives he now cared about for crying out loud.

"So you're going to let them back into your life?"

"I don't know," Tommy told her, looking up and glaring. He didn't know what she expected him to say. He couldn't let them be in danger, but at the same time, now that they were here, he wasn't sure he could let them go again. At least not without a shit ton of alcohol.

"You don't know?" she asked him. "You don't have a choice, but to know. Because this time it's not just you. There are four teenagers up there growing attached to those people who just walked back into your life. If you push them away again, you're going to hurt Connor and the others as well. Or worse, you'll isolate them too. And Tommy, if you do that, I'm not going to be there to pick up the pieces again. So either you decide you want them back, or you don't. You can't be indecisive about this."

"You don't think I know that?" Tommy asked her, angrily. "That's one of my worries. I'm lucky all that happened was that Rocky punched me in the face. I agree with him. I deserved a hell of a lot worse."

"You cause those kids upstairs any pain and I'll do the same," Haley told him. She sighed and shook her head to clear it. "Tommy, why didn't you answer your friends' phone calls?"

Tommy just stared at her. He struggled for a few moments to actually find an answer. Finally he sighed and gave up. "I was scared," he confessed. "Scared of what they'd say. That they weren't coming." Haley smiled slightly and walked towards him, placing her hand on his shoulder. Tommy leaned forward, elbows on his knees, face in his hand. "I wanted them to come. I wanted them back," he added, stunned surprise in his voice. It was easier to admit when he said it out loud.

"I think they want you back too," Haley told him.

"You think?"

"I wouldn't have left you with my kids," she laughed at him. "I don't think they've ever stopped caring about and trusting you."

"I fucked up Haley," Tommy told her, sighing and sitting back and thinking about Katie and Luke. "How could I not know Rocky and Aisha had kids?" Haley shrugged. He was doing a better job of reaming himself than she could have, so she just let him continue. "And Adam and Tanya; she had a ring on. I didn't even know they were dating," Tommy groaned. He pressed his curled fist against his forehead, squeezing his eyes shut. "And she's not even here. She hasn't even tried to get in contact. I doubt I'll ever see her again."

Haley didn't have to guess who she was. She knew exactly who Tommy was talking about. But she kept her mouth shut. Adam, Rocky, Aisha, and Tanya were one thing. Even Billy coming was something she was looking forward to. But she wasn't going to complicate things further. She wasn't sure Tommy wouldn't crack if another of his first few ranger teams showed up.

"I am the world's worst person," Tommy continued. "I don't deserve them."

"They're not guiltless," Haley informed him, a bit of bitterness in her voice. "They didn't have to let you go. They could have been the ones to pick you up and glue you back together instead of me. They let you pull away." Tommy stared at her. "I mean it. I won't let you place all the blame on yourself."

"Haley," Tommy started to say, but she shook her head at him.

"No. You fucked up, Tommy. But they did too," she stated. "All I did was be there to glue you back together."

"You think they'll ever forgive me?"

"I'm sure they've already started. Aisha doesn't strike me as the type of woman to leave a one month old with teenagers. She only agreed to let the kids babysit because you're here," Haley told him. "Not that you know what you're doing."

"Um… hey Dr. O?" Trent stuck his head into the basement. Haley and Tommy looked up at the white clad teenager.

"What's up Trent?" Tommy asked him, trying to rearrange his facial expression so that the teenager didn't sense his anxiety.

"Katie kind of needs a diaper change, and we can't get her to hold still long enough."

Tommy's face paled. "Diaper?"

Trent nodded, a sheepish smile on his face.

"I rest my case," Haley laughed. "Come on Trent," she told him. "I'll help," she added, leading the white ranger back up the stairs, leaving Tommy alone in the office.

Tommy sighed and leaned back in his chair, thinking over everything that he'd said, and what Haley had said. He thought back over everything that had happened that day. He remembered events that happened over the last ten years. And specifically events that had happened when he and the dino thunder teens had been sent to the past. He built relationships with the teenagers he'd never had before, or rather his younger self did. The consequence was that he now cared about them much more deeply. Haley was right. If he screwed things up again, he could potentially loose them all.

He was surer now than he'd been before leaving Angel Grove that he wanted his old friends back in his life. He couldn't stand the idea of missing more of their lives or of them missing more of his. Without their trip back in time, he knew they never would have known he was a power ranger again. He never would have known he was an 'uncky ranger' as Katie had dubbed him. He smiled at the thought. But his biggest issue at the moment was that he didn't think he deserved it.

He'd kicked them out of his life. Sure, his goal had been to protect them; at least that's what he'd told himself. But had they really been in need of protection? Or was he more concerned with protecting himself from more emotional pain. Apparently, Adam, Rocky, and Aisha were willing to give him a chance at forgiveness. He'd never really lost Billy's friendship – but even still, the former blue ranger had made it clear that he was going to be back in Tommy's life. But then there was Kim. She hadn't reached out. She probably wanted nothing to do with him. And Tommy had no idea how to go about fixing that.

"Oh uncky ranger!" he heard a call from upstairs. "We could use a little assistance up here," Kira's voice teased him.

"Coming," Tommy called back, with a laugh. He could wallow in self-pity over Kimberly's absence later. He had a new niece and nephew to assist with.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed. Reviews are wonderful.

Fateless


	32. Chapter 32

Does anyone else find it hilarious that I get the most reviews on the chapter where Rocky punches Tommy in the face? What does that mean out our fandom? LOL.

Anyway, here's another long one... actually, it's the longest by a few extra pages and 2000 words. Hope you all enjoy,

Fateless

* * *

Adam, Tanya, Aisha, and Rocky let themselves into the one story house out in the middle of nowhere after knocking and standing on the porch with no answer for about five minutes. The moment the door was open, a cacophony of sound bombarded them. Aisha led the way towards the loudest noises, peering into the living room. The four were stunned and slightly amused by what they saw.

The television, which was the main source of the noise, was tuned to a children's program. It was one that Rocky and Aisha knew well, being that it was one of Katie's favorites. The volume was the reason no one had heard their knocking. Kira sat on the sofa, cooing at baby Luke, who kicked his legs and hands. She appeared to be playing peek-a-boo with him, which was getting lots of baby giggles in return. Connor and Trent were both on the ground, Connor on his back, while Trent was on his stomach. Katie, who was wearing only her t-shirt and diaper, was bouncing back and forth, body slamming both boys, who were faking pain. She giggled each time, laying across them, or sitting on top of them, all while she clapped along to the music blaring from the speakers. Most of the toys and books from the diaper bag lay scattered throughout the living room. The carpeting was littered with the remnants of the snacks Aisha had packed.

Footsteps behind them snapped the four out of their thoughts over the scene, and all four turned to see Tommy emerge from the basement. He was carrying several books, which he set down on a nearby table. "You're here," he stated, as if he was still having trouble processing the fact that they were back in his life. Logically, he knew he'd see them again, because he had their children. But there had been a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that they'd be so angry with him that they'd leave the hotel and never speak to him again.

"We brought a peace offering," Rocky stated simply, holding up a few bags of Mexican take out that he and the others had stopped off for on their way over.

"We almost couldn't find the place though," Adam added. He had a few bags of food in his hands as well. Clearly, they hadn't forgotten how much food it took to feed this group, even if they were down two individuals. Tanya's presence made up for the third. "Why do you have to live in the middle of nowhere?"

"I like my privacy," Tommy stated, allowing a slight smile to grace his face. He ran a hand over the back of his head. Now that they weren't threatening him, meaning he didn't have to defend himself, Tommy felt slightly awkward in their presence. After all, he hadn't actually been with them in years. The teenage versions didn't actually count.

"Would you mind explaining why my daughter isn't wearing pants?" Aisha asked him. Tommy followed her gaze to the center of the living room. Ethan had emerged from the kitchen and was handing the toddler her sippy cup refilled with water. She took the cup, holding it to her lips with one hand. She then resumed her seat on top of Connor.

"Pants?" Tommy snorted. "You're lucky we got her to hold still long enough to get a fresh diaper on her. What did you do?" he asked, "infuse her with pure Rocky DNA?"

"Haha," Rocky laughed, although Aisha grinned at Tommy. She and Tanya laughed, and then walked into the living room to join the teenagers.

"What is she doing to Connor and Trent, by the way?" Tommy asked the two men still beside him.

"I call it Katie Jiu Jitsu," Adam told him. "She's trying to copy what Rocky teaches to his more advanced students. It can actually be quite painful if she hits you in the wrong place," he added, his face clearly betraying the fact that his knowledge was from personal experience.

"Directions to the kitchen please?" Rocky asked, ignoring his two former teammates, holding up the bags.

"Right," Tommy stated with a nod. He led both Adam and Rocky into the kitchen. Both men set down their bags of food, before falling into chairs at his kitchen table. Tommy leaned against one of the counters, watching his former teammates, awkward silence resuming. They really had no idea what to say to one another. Both men looked around the room. It was fairly small, and mostly bare of decoration. However, there were four small photographs on the refrigerator that caught their eyes. One depicted the original six power rangers, all about fifteen to sixteen years old. The second was of the second team of six, now about seventeen, the age they remembered being when they met Connor, Kira, Ethan, and Trent. The third photograph was of the seven teenagers involved with the zeo team. The final picture was taken after high school graduation, depicting the four young adults and the one child that made up the first turbo team. Tommy followed their line of sight when he realized both of were staring at the pictures.

"Kira helped me clean out my office a few months ago. She found those and put them up," he informed them, blushing slightly. Rocky and Adam shook their heads and looked back at him.

"Sure she did," Rocky told him, a slight smirk.

"Face it," Adam told him. "You missed us," he added.

"Of course I did," Tommy told them both, turning his back on his friends and going through one of the cupboards above the stove, looking for his stash of paper plates and napkins. He shut down that line of conversation. Things were just started to feel relaxed; he didn't want the tension and anger to return.

"How'd it go with the kids?" Rocky asked, deciding to let Tommy have his way for the moment. Things were quiet. He didn't want to have to punch Tommy in the face again.

"Kira's in love with Luke," Tommy replied with a laugh. "I think Trent might be jealous," he added as an afterthought. "And to be honest, I may not be able to tell that little girl of yours 'no'." He found the paper products and began to set them on the counter. Adam and Rocky both moved to begin helping him take the food they'd brought out of the bags and set them on the counter tops.

"Don't feel bad," Adam told him with a grin. "I can't tell her 'no' either. That's the best part about being an uncle. You can spoil her rotten, and give her back to her parents."

"Just wait till it's your turn Frog boy. I'm going to stuff your kid so full of sugar and then send them back to you without a nap," Rocky informed him.

"That was one time!" Adam laughed. "I said I was sorry! And you're going to be waiting a while; we just got engaged."

"I hate that I missed so much," Tommy told them suddenly. They could hear the remorse in his voice.

"Yeah well," Rocky stated in return. "Can't change the past. You proved that," he added in.

"At least not without messing up the future," Adam stated. "But you don't have to miss anymore," he added in. His face betrayed how serious he was.

"Speaking of missing out on things. Anything we should know about your love life? What's up with you and that Haley person? She seems like the type who could handle you," Rocky told him, laughing.

"Haley?" Tommy snorted. "Oh no. She'd kill me," he told them. "She's just a friend."

"Uh huh," Adam teased him.

"I swear," Tommy laughed, groaning slightly, and rolling his eyes when Rocky and Adam exchanged looks that said they didn't believe him. "Seriously, don't say it around her. I will not be responsible for you both ending up in the hospital."

"Yeah right," Rocky stated. "Former power rangers, remember?"

"It's your funeral," Tommy told him. "Don't say I didn't warn you." He laughed at them and shook his head, before scrutinizing the space. The kitchen was crowded even with just the three of them in it. There were six more individuals in the living room, not to mention to two pint sized members of the DeSantos family. "We all won't fit in here. We'll have to fix plates and eat in the living room."

"Sounds good to me," Rocky stated, taking Tommy's comment as a sign that it was time to dig in. Tommy laughed at him, glad to know that some things never changed. Adam shrugged and walked to the archway between the living room and kitchen.

"Dinner's ready. Come and get it before Rocky eats it all," Adam called out. He pulled his head back in and turned to see Rocky piling food on his plate. "Seriously, he might eat it all," Adam shouted, as the rest of the group made their way in to create a line.

Once they'd all fixed plates, Rocky even taking a moment to fix something for Katie so Aisha didn't have to, the group found themselves scattered around the floor and furniture in Tommy's living room. Kira and Trent sat close together on the love seat, while Aisha, Tanya, and Adam occupied the sofa. Connor perched on the arm rest of the love seat, nearest to Trent. Tommy sat in the only arm chair in the room. Ethan leaned back against the base of the love seat, near Kira, while Rocky sat on the floor, leaning back against the sofa near Aisha. Luke slept in his car seat to Rocky's left, while Katie sat on her knees between Rocky's legs, using her fingers to place tiny pieces of chicken and rice into her mouth, having unwrapped the tortilla Rocky had filled for her.

"This brings back memories of dinner at the cabin," Aisha stated, looking around after the group had been eating in relative silence for a while. With Katie present, silence didn't exist. They'd left the television tuned to the kids channel to help keep her entertained.

"You mean when we were mac and cheese eating rug rats?" Connor snorted. "Because I'm trying to forget that."

"Still think girls have cooties, huh Connor?" Adam teased him. Connor glared at him, but his mouth took on the shape of a smile.

"Leave the boy alone," Tanya told him, hitting him lightly with the back of her hand. "From what Aisha and Rocky said, you had a few embarrassing moments yourself." Adam blushed and nodded, laughing as he chewed his dinner.

"You told her about that?" Kira whined from her spot across the room.

"You told Trent," Adam defended.

"Trent was there," Kira argued, blushing bright red.

"If you can have moral support, so can I," Adam retorted. Despite the argument, both were smiling.

"It's worse now though! You're old," Kira complained, her face shifting between embarrassment and disgust.

"Twenty-seven is not old!" Adam retorted, and then paused. "Oh man," he stated, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "You're not legal… does this make me a pedophile?"

"Can't you two get over this?" Tommy asked them both, taking another bite of his food. Adam and Kira both turned to look at him. "So he showered in your body, so she peed in yours. It's not the end of the world."

"Dr. O," Kira stated simply. "Do me a favor," she stated a little too sweetly, and everyone went silent, worried about what she was going to say next. She was after all, a yellow. "Think really hard back to that day. I mean really hard. Remember anything about what happened after your karate class ended?"

Tommy frowned at her, his fork stopping midway between his plate and his mouth. And then his face paled and he set the plate aside, losing his appetite. "Oh god… That's just… Oh god! No! I can't believe… Ugh!" He placed his thumbs against his eyelids as if he was trying to bore the memory out of his mind, incoherent statements of horror spewing from his mouth.

Adam and Kira smirked and leaned forward, high fiving one another.

"You were saying how we should just get over it, huh Tommy?" Adam laughed.

"I… I… I…"

"Great Alpha impersonation," Aisha told him, laughing as well. Rocky just grinned.

"What did you make him realize?" Tanya asked, smiling. Everyone was clearly enjoying Tommy's discomfort.

"Please don't," Tommy muttered, still covering his eyes.

Kira ignored him, grinning. She could ignore her own discomfort if it made her mentor uncomfortable. "So he mentioned me peeing in Adam's body. Clearly that took place in the men's room. I was standing there, trying not to have a mental breakdown," she stated with a laugh. "Next thing I know, he," she added, jerking her thumb at Tommy, "comes in, whips it out, and starts to pee." She stressed the word 'it'.

"You did what in front of my girlfriend?" Trent stated, his mouth falling open and glaring at him. Connor, Ethan, and Rocky burst out laughing.

"It wasn't me," Tommy retorted.

"Actually," Aisha stated, "while you were in the past, it might not have been. But considering you remember doing it, I think we can safely say it was."

"I'm going to kill you," Trent said darkly. He was glaring at Tommy.

"I might do it myself," Tommy stated, finally opening his eyes, but he still looked pale, and he couldn't look at Kira without blushing.

"Trent," Rocky told him, "I doubt you have anything to be jealous of."

"Dude, that was harsh," Connor snorted a laugh. Both the current and former red rangers ignored the evil look the current black ranger was giving them. Everyone else joined their laughter at Tommy's expense.

"Remind me not to remember anything that happened during those two weeks again," Tommy stated, with a sigh, clearly giving up.

"Speaking of memories," Aisha asked. "How come we're the only ones who seem to remember?"

"We're not," Tommy told her with a shake of his head. "Billy's on his way. It'll take a few days," he added.

"Billy's coming home?" Adam, Rocky, and Tanya all asked as one. They still clearly remembered the day he'd left. If they were honest with themselves, they hadn't ever truly believed they'd see him again, although they did hear from him from time to time.

"He left me a message on the video satellite program this morning," Tommy confirmed nodding. His friends all grinned, as quiet over took the group again. It wasn't that they were ignoring the elephant in the room; it was more that they weren't sure how to approach the last topic. Truthfully, despite Tanya's presence at the very collapse of the one relationship they hadn't spoken about, Tanya wasn't thinking about it. The missing ranger hadn't been her teammate. And she'd only met her once. The other three just watched Tommy, not wanting to bring up her name. Finally, Tommy realized they were staring at him. He sighed and shook his head. "I haven't heard from Kim."

"Oh," Adam stated simply, nodding. They'd held out hope until Tommy confirmed it. However, they weren't really surprised. Aisha, Rocky, Tommy, and Adam all downcast their eyes as if they'd lost something when Tommy had spoken the words.

"Haley didn't tell you?" Connor stated suddenly. "I thought that's why she asked you to go downstairs with her."

"Tell me what?" Tommy said slowly, frowning in the teenagers' direction. Connor looked nervously at his three teenage teammates. Ethan and Trent both shrugged.

"Dr. O," Kira finally worked up the courage to state, "Kimberly's here in Reefside."

"What?" Tommy asked, jumping to his feet. Aisha, Adam, Rocky, and even Tanya stared at her in shock. "You knew this and you didn't say anything?"

"We thought Haley would," Ethan defended the teenagers. "She told us to let you sleep yesterday."

"Yesterday?" Adam asked before Tommy could say anything else. "How is that possible? We didn't get our memories back until the middle of the night."

"Kim's been here since Friday, Dr. O," Connor stated. "She was um… the girl I met at the soccer field after school," he winced, knowing that now there was a good chance he might die by Tommy's hands instead of Rocky's.

"You went on a date with Kimberly?" Tommy growled at him, his head turning to glare at Connor. The teenager scrambled backwards off the couch, putting as much distance between them as possible. Trent had been scary when he was evil, but that was nothing to the look Tommy was giving him now. And he'd just started feeling safe again, now that he knew Rocky wouldn't kill him.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please don't hurt me," he whimpered slightly.

"Now you know how it feels," Rocky muttered, just loud enough for Aisha to reach a hand down and slap him. He rubbed the spot where she'd hit.

"Tommy," Adam told him. "If you kill the boy, we won't find anything out."

"There are others," Tommy replied, coldly, his glare never leaving Connor, who basically was curled up in the fetal position in a corner. Rocky might have hurt him, but he was pretty sure Tommy might kill him and hide the body.

"Dr. O," Trent stated. "He's finally been broken in. We don't have time to train a new leader," he added. Tommy turned his glare on Trent for a moment who met his dark look with one of his own. After a moment, Tommy sighed and nodded. He could kill Connor later. At the moment, he needed to find out what the teenage knew.

"What happened?" he asked, turning back to Connor. The boy stared at him in fear. "Connor, you can live. Tell me what happened Friday."

"Um…" Connor stated, coming out of the corner slightly, but positioning himself in the living room with Adam and Rocky between him and his science teacher. He didn't fully trust Tommy. "I went to the field after school to practice. I got distracted and the ball missed the net. It um, kind of hit her in the head. She'd been walking by," he added, with a blush. When Tommy didn't interrupt him, he took another breath and continued. "I apologized, profusely, and we started talking. I um… didn't really catch her name… you know… cause I was distracted."

"Dude, you need to stop telling him you find her attractive, or he's going to kill you in your sleep," Ethan laughed at Connor. Connor glared at him.

"Continue," Tommy growled. Connor sighed and nodded.

"So um, we talked, and she explained she was visiting. I offered to show her around on Saturday. And um, you know the rest. I swear, I didn't know it was her. And she didn't know who I was. If she did, she's a really good actor," Connor stated. Tommy didn't answer right away. "Dr. O?"

Tommy just blinked at him, attempting to understand what the teenagers were trying to tell him. He couldn't find his voice, and instead let his former teammates be the source of his questions.

"She's been in Reefside since Friday? But you said you didn't travel back in time until Saturday," Aisha stated. "So somehow, Kim knew to come to Reefside before you went back in time? Which is well before our memories came back."

Trent nodded. "Haley said she's been coming for a weekend every year for the last three years looking for Dr. O," Trent replied. The mention of Haley's name snapped Tommy out of his stupor.

"Haley said what?" Tommy shouted. Luckily neither Luke nor Katie seemed phased by his volume, but Aisha still shushed him. "Sorry," he muttered to her, still having the sense not to piss off a former yellow ranger. He fell back down into his chair, running his hands over his face.

"This still doesn't make any sense. How could Kim have come looking for Tommy before she regained memories of him visiting us in 1995?" Adam asked. Rocky and Aisha both shrugged their shoulders. Tanya looked confused.

Tommy sighed, realization dawning on his face. It was his doing. "Rocky," he stated. "Remember how you said we can't change the past."

"Yeah," he stated, looking at his friend, confusion written on his face.

"I think I did," he stated, his face paling. "That stupid idiot," he muttered more to himself. "I was a stupid idiot," he amended, realizing the truth. The teenagers, as well as his former teammates, watched him, confused.

"Tommy," Tanya stated. "Want to fill us in?" she asked.

"I wrote her a letter telling her where to find me. Or rather, seventeen year old me wrote her a letter telling her where to find the current me. I gave it to her the night before we traveled home. She hid it in a photo album so she wouldn't find it for a while."

"I remember that!" Aisha stated. "That little liar. She said it was a love note," she added, surprise on her face.

"Do you realize what you could have done?" Adam asked him. Tommy's face was pale. He nodded.

"Trust me," he stated. "I do," he added. "And so do you, now. But if I remember correctly, you were all on my younger self's side back then. You wanted to keep your memories so we could change the future. Never mind the consequences. None of us cared that we could have destroyed the future. Luckily, she never found me, and I believe, aside from her visiting Reefside three times, nothing is drastically different."

"True," Rocky stated. "Don't be so hard on him for that," he told Adam, who sighed and nodded. "So Kim must have found the letter three years ago. But why didn't she find you?"

"Haley said you weren't here yet when Kim started showing up," Kira told them. Tommy nodded. He wasn't. It wouldn't have been a lie then. But clearly, Kim had come to look for him this year, and Haley hadn't pointed her in the correct direction. "We spoke to her yesterday," Kira continued. "She didn't remember us."

"She wouldn't have," Tommy stated. "She was probably having a hard time believing the letter I wrote her. It don't remember everything I wrote, but it mentioned Reefside, Cyberspace, power rangers and the fact that I have a Ph.D. She must have thought she was crazy."

"I don't know Dr. O," Ethan told him. "It was pretty clear to us that Kim knew we were rangers," Ethan said. "I'm sure she's used to crazy."

"She must have pieced it together because I told her to run when the tyrrannodrones attacked Saturday morning. Right before Chronosaurus sent us back in time," Connor added to the conversation. Tommy glared at him, reminded of the fact that Connor had tried to date her.

"You didn't tell her you knew who she was?" Adam asked them, drawing Tommy's attention back off the teenager.

"Would you have believed us if we'd met you yesterday and told you we knew you were power rangers because we'd just spent two weeks with you in the past?" Trent asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"You did right," Tommy told the teenagers. "She would have potentially freaked out. But," he started, sighing, "She'll have remembered today like everyone else," he added. "If she wanted anything to do with me, she'd have come looking for me again, despite Haley telling her I'm not here."

"Don't say that," Aisha told him, but her voice wasn't really convincing him that he was wrong. Tommy shook his head.

"It's alright," he told her. "I knew there was a good chance I wouldn't be able to fix my relationship with Kim," he added in, trying desperately to keep his disappointment out of his voice. He made eye contact with each of the former rangers. "I'm really glad you're all giving me the chance to fix my mistakes."

"They're ours too," Rocky stated. Katie chose that moment to lose interest in the TV, and plop down on Rocky's lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. She leaned against his chest, snuggling into it. Rocky instinctively wrapped one arm around her. "I told Adam and Aisha on the moon that it couldn't have been all your fault," he stated, seeing his wife and best friend blush as they remembered that conversation. "I was right," he added. "We let you isolate yourself."

"Rocky's right. We could have stopped you," Adam told him.

"You wouldn't have been able to," Tommy confirmed.

"You keep telling yourself that," Aisha told him, with a slight smile. "If it makes you feel powerful," she added with a bit of a laugh.

"You're really willing to forgive me, huh?"

"Of course they are," Kira laughed at him. "You're just an idiot," she stated.

"I like her," Tanya told everyone, getting laughter in response.

"It'll take some time," Aisha told him, standing and coming over to wrap her arms around his shoulders. "But I think we can get our friendships back the way they're supposed to be." She gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Mommy kisseded Uncky Ranger, Daddy!" Katie stated, pointed at Tommy and Aisha, causing Tommy to blush.

* * *

After dinner, Tommy had moved into the kitchen quietly, letting Kira, Connor, Trent, and Ethan catch up with his old teammates. A small part of him kept reminding him that he'd pushed them out of his life, and he needed to be punished. He'd cleaned up the rest of the food that hadn't been consumed, and then glanced at the photographs on the fridge. There were many individuals in those photos whom he was getting the chance to reconnect with, but there were also those that he hadn't visited in the past, and therefore, wouldn't be reaching out to him. If he wanted to fix all his relationships, he knew he'd need to make the first move.

He sighed, and drifted out of the kitchen and down the stairs into the basement, unlocking the door to the lab office that resided in the cave under his home. He breathed in and out, feeling comfortable for the first time since he'd laid eyes on Rocky and the others in Cyberspace. He was comfortable there. He gazed around, taking in the orderly computer systems that Haley would have killed him if he messed up, and then the disarray that was his desk. He then moved to a punching bag suspended from the ceiling and began attacking it. He was frustrated and pissed that Kim had reached out, that Haley had kept her presence a secret, and that Connor had gone on a date with her. He needed to vent, or he might have actually tried to hurt someone.

"Now this, I wasn't expecting," Adam's voice caught him off guard, and Tommy instinctively turned, falling into defensive stance. Adam raised his eyebrow at his friend, a smirk on his face. Tommy rolled his eyes and shifted his weight back into a regular standing pose, as Adam walked passed him, deeper into the cave. "What is this place?"

"Dino thunder command," Tommy laughed, watching Adam study the surroundings. He waited a while as Adam took in every aspect, turning back to face Tommy.

"Not bad," Adam told him. He leaned back against one of the stone walls, beneath a few of the dinosaur footprints, his face and eyes however were pretty cold.

"Thanks," Tommy stated simply. He was aware of the tension that had returned between them, now that they were alone. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "You going to hit me as well?"

"I might," Adam told him, plainly. "Rocky didn't do near enough damage to your face."

"And you could do better?"

"Clearly," was the simple reply. Tommy knew he wasn't joking. Despite the calm and joviality of the evening, he knew his friends were still angry with him. Adam followed his reply by pushing himself off the wall, moving towards Tommy, who watched his every move. Had it been anyone else, Tommy would have seen the exact moment the strike was coming, and easily side stepped. Rocky had only managed to hit him because he'd be caught completely off guard and stunned. However, with Adam, Tommy barely had time to throw his arm up to block the punch that headed straight for his head. Unlike that morning with Rocky, Adam didn't stop with the one punch. He followed it with several others, as well as kicks, falling into an old familiar pattern.

Tommy countered each one of Adam's attacks with the correct block, returning with an attack of his own. At one point, Adam lunged at him, knocking him backwards to the ground. Tommy rolled, forcing Adam beneath him, and aiming a blow at his head. Adam blocked it easily, and then used his legs to knock Tommy over his head and away from him. Both immediately jumped back to their feet. Tommy jumped, aiming a kick at Adam's head, while Adam ducked at the exact right moment, swinging his own legs out to try and knock Tommy's out from under him. Adam aimed a one leg kick back at Tommy's upper body, forcing Tommy to duck beneath it. He caught Adam's next kick aimed at his chest with his hands. The former ranger then fell into a defensive pose as Tommy grabbed his arm, bracing him. Adam jumped into the air, rotating his body as he did, causing Tommy to release him. Glaring, he spun back around, and aimed another kick towards Tommy's head, which the current ranger blocked. Tommy spun, jumping and continuing the spin as he tried to hit Adam's head. Adam stepped backward without much effort, avoiding the blow. Tommy followed it immediately with a second jump and spin kick with his left leg. He kicked out with his right leg before he landed. Adam ducked beneath both, reading Tommy's body language. Tommy immediately fell into a backwards kick, which Adam jumped clear of at the last moment. Both men fell into a series of punches, each blocking the other, the force behind their blows escalating. Adam jumped, grabbing hold of Tommy's arm and wrapping his legs around his torso as he spun. This brought both of them to the ground, bracing themselves on their arms as they fell. Both breathing heavily, looked up at one another.

Anyone who'd been watching would have thought the two men were trying to kill one another, they'd been glaring heavily at each other throughout the entire match, and the glares continued, even as they caught their breath on the hard stone floor. After a few moments of silence and sharp inhales and exhales, Adam let a smirk settle onto his lips, releasing the dino thunder ranger from his hold. "You're rusty," he stated, as both of them pushed themselves to their feet. He rubbed a scrape on his arm from where he'd hit the ground a little too hard at the end. Tommy was rubbing a new bruise as well, but he laughed slightly, realizing that they'd both gone through a routine they'd choreographed together years before, nearly perfectly.

"Next time," he stated, "we use mats."

"Agreed," Adam retorted, falling onto one of the sofas. Tommy joined him a second later, as they let the tension that had been mounting between them dissipate. The match was exactly what each of them needed, both having the moment to take their frustration at the other out without actually causing physical damage. The sat in silence for a few moments before Adam turned to look at Tommy. "Why'd you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Don't play stupid," Adam replied simply. "Why did you push us out of your lives?"

Tommy sighed and leaned his head back, balancing it on the back of the sofa and looking up at the rock ceiling. He shrugged for a moment, but knew Adam was still watching him. He sat back up and looked him in the eyes. He couldn't chicken out and not meet his gaze. "I didn't want you to get hurt."

"Seriously?" Adam snorted. Tommy nodded, and Adam shook his head. "Ok, Kim is completely understandable. I even get Aisha and Billy," he stated. "Billy sticking around so close to things during our Zeo powers was anxiety ridden as it was. And you know what, I can even give you Rocky, though Zordon knows he can handle himself. But you lost your powers at the same time as Tanya, Kat, and I. Why us?"

"Adam," Tommy stated with a sigh. "I'm a damn ranger again! After turbo, I knew it was just a matter of time. I couldn't stand the idea of you all getting hurt because of me."

"I did get hurt," Adam told him. "But it wasn't because of you. Once a ranger and all that," he stated.

"I know."

"You know?" Adam glared at him. Tommy nodded, exhaling sharply.

"Carlos and TJ told me. Andros confirmed it on the moon. Morphing with a damaged coin was seriously stupid."

"Don't give me that," Adam replied. "You would have done the same. But that's not the point. You stayed in contact with them? But not us?"

"I've checked up on all the current ranger teams over the years," Tommy told him with a shrug of his shoulders. Adam stared at him for a moment, trying to process that piece of information. Tommy had purposely involved himself with rangers the entire time.

"You are seriously messed up," Adam told him, with a sarcastic grin on his face. He laughed slightly, shaking his head. "It was only a matter of time because you couldn't let it go. Face it man, you can't function without the power."

"I can too," Tommy stated, realizing how childish he sounded. He rolled his eyes at the look Adam was giving him, before laughing slightly as well. His supposed his friend did have a point.

"Look," Adam stated. "You shouldn't have worried about us to the extent that you isolated yourself," he told him. "But we…actually, I won't speak for them. I shouldn't have let you. When you stopped answering my calls, I should have shown up at your door. Reasons aside, you were a total idiot. But I wasn't any better," he offered his hand out to Tommy, who nodded and took it, allowing a small smile to form on his lips.

"Adam," he began to protest, but Adam shook his head.

"No Tommy," he stated. "We shouldn't have lost contact. I knew where you went to school. I could have found you. I was too busy with my own issues to worry. I'd lost my powers too, and I got preoccupied with self-pity. But I had Tanya, and Rocky, and through him, Aisha when she came home. I got through it. But I should have thought about you. I'm sorry." Tommy stared at him, not knowing what to say. The apology was more than words. He knew Adam really meant it. He sighed and nodded.

"Me too," he stated simply. "I'm sorry too," he clarified.

"Good, now, show me around, before we get all mushy" Adam commanded. Tommy nodded, and did as his friend suggested.

* * *

When she'd woken up that morning, everything had seemed fine. She'd been well rested, and ready to hit the road. It was only when she'd actually thought about leaving Reefside, did she remember what she'd initially taken for very vivid dreams.

The night before, Connor had only been a kind hearted teenager who had thought to show her around Reefside, who just happened to be a power ranger. Now, Connor was still a kind hearted teenager who showed her around Reefside, happened to be a power ranger, but was also one of the students and teammates of her ex-boyfriend. He and his friends knew who she was and, considering they'd spent two weeks together, they were her friends too. But they hadn't said anything. They'd let her sit there, pretending she had no idea that they were members of an elite club, all the while knowing that she was pretending. She wanted to curse the four of them into oblivion. They could have told her!

And then of course there was the said ex-boyfriend. The whole thing was his fault to begin with. He was the reason his entire team had been dragged into their past. He was the reason that she'd woken up Sunday morning with half a month's worth of new memories that felt old as dirt. She felt old as dirt, now that she thought about the fact that her new ranger friends were actually nearly a decade younger than she was. The idea made her head hurt, as she'd struggled the entire morning to keep her thoughts straight. It was all his fault. It was even his fault that instead of being home dealing with emotions and memories that she didn't realize she'd been lacking, she was in a strange city, in a hotel.

Granted, she was pissed at herself for that too. Although she had never known what the letter would say, she knew now, that she had been involved in orchestrating it's delivery. She'd been seventeen, and clearly should have known better. But she'd let her emotions take control, and she'd been irrational. She realized now that she and said ex-boyfriend could have destroyed the future with their oh so ingenious master plan to reunite their future selves. If she had the ability, she actually contemplated going back in time and kicking her own ass. It had only been through some divine interference that she'd never succeeded in finding her ex before the time line righted itself.

However, that divine interference had taken on the form of a human person. A female human person. She was actually thankful that the individual had prevented her from finding him early. However, at the same time, she was pissed to hell at her. What gave her the right to prevent her from finding him? Especially now that the time line was fixed. She could have said something yesterday. Clearly, from the way the teenagers had approached her, time was back to normal.

And those thoughts were how she'd spent the better half of her morning, pacing back and forth within her hotel room, mind going over the new memories she'd been given, her old relationships, her old teammates, her break up with said ex-boyfriend, the last nine years in between, and every one of her three trips to Reefside. She'd only paused a few times to sit and think, only to resume her pacing. She was sure she had worn a path into the carpeting.

Finally, when the clock had been nearing noon, she allowed herself to think about the future and exactly what she was going to do now. She fell into the chair near the desk, noticing her email was open. Frowning, she clicked on the inbox, opening an unread message.

 _Kim,_

 _I'm on my way home. Sorry about the pain. I didn't realize it would actually hurt. You can yell at me later. Anyway, I'll keep this brief. My transport will be ready in a few minutes, but I know you. If I didn't email you, you'd be sitting there for hours, debating what to do. Follow your instincts. Go and find him. The others will, and you know it. So don't wait on me to get there to drag you to him. I'll meet you there. And when you do find him, give him a hug for me._

 _See you soon,_

 _Billy._

Kimberly laughed. For the first time all morning, she found the humor in the situation. Fate had conspired to prevent her from destroying the future, while at the same time bringing her within moments of being reunited with a very important piece of her past. And despite the fact that they hadn't seen each other in almost a decade, her friends knew her better than she knew herself.

"What pain?" she asked herself, shaking her head as she re-read Billy's message about three or four times. He was right about everything. If she hadn't heard from him, she'd have debated what to do for hours. The others would have already started to seek him out. And if she wasn't there when Billy arrived, he would find her and drag her there. So, inevitably, she was going to see Tommy again. But she wasn't certain that was something she wanted to do, at least not on her own terms.

She'd pulled out the letter again, and leaned back in the chair, reading over it. When she'd first found it, it had taken her a bit to decide to actually go look for him, but she'd done it. She hadn't known he missed her, or even wanted to see her at the time. Even this trip, she hadn't been sure Tommy wanted to see her. But she'd made up her mind that he didn't have a choice – at least until she'd figured out that there were people who knew who she was, and clearly did not approve of her.

Now things were different. She knew the dino thunder teenagers were expecting her. Tommy would have told them by now that his memories had returned. It was even possible that Billy, Aisha, Rocky, and Adam would have gotten in touch with them. She also knew Dr. Oliver, as she'd known him back then, did truly want to see her, even if Haley didn't appear to approve. But it was in knowing those things, that Kim realized the situation was no longer in her complete control. And that scared her.

Still, something she felt made her call down stairs to the lobby and extend her stay until the following weekend. She called her job and told them she wouldn't be in for the week. She apologized for any inconvenience, but explained that she had important personal business to attend to. They hadn't been happy, but she honestly didn't care. It was the same motivation that had forced her out of the desk chair and into the shower. The same force that drove her to pick out a form fitting pink dress from her suitcase, which she paired with the white sandal heels she'd been wearing the day before. And it was the same force that drove her out onto the sidewalk seeking Cyberspace. She was beyond pissed off. If it had been biologically possible, as she walked down the street, her face glowing red with her anger, steam would have been coming out of her ears. She was pissed at several individuals. However, at that moment, she only knew where she could potentially find one of them.

The first order of business was to give Haley a piece of her mind. After that, she could track down Connor and the other teenagers, if they weren't already at Cyberspace. She didn't think they would be. Haley needed to understand just whose life she was messing with. No one prevented Kimberly Hart from getting what she wanted. Not fifty foot tall monsters, and not some overly protective friend. And if she admitted it to herself, what she wanted was to see Tommy again. He may have just seen her yesterday, but it had been almost a decade for her.

When Kimberly reached the cyber café, her anger hadn't dissipated at all. In fact, it had only intensified, but she wasn't as sure she was purely angry with Haley's actions. She was just angry at the entire situation, and Haley seemed to be the easiest target. So, armed with a well-planned verbal tirade to tell the woman exactly what she thought about her scheme to keep Kim away from Tommy, Kimberly reached up to pull open the door to the establishment, a little after two in the afternoon. However, just as her hand touched the door knob, she found herself surrounded by creatures she'd only encountered once – while she was tied up in a cave clad in an evening dress at the age of seventeen.

Kimberly immediately shifted into a defensive position, internally cursing herself for giving into her vanity and wearing heels. She truly should have known better, considering she'd been attacked with Connor the morning before, and had seen the news reports on television that evening about the tyrranodrone army vs. power ranger battle. Reefside was under active mutant attack. It was not a safe place to be wearing clothing meant to put your ex-boyfriend into cardiac arrest.

"You picked the wrong person to mess with," Kimberly spat, her eyes darting from one tyrranodrone to the next. She had swung her purse onto her back, and positioned herself to give herself as much room to fight as possible. She tried not to let the thoughts of the fact that she was actually powerless enter her mind. She could not show fear.

"On the contrary," an unfamiliar female voice reached her. Kimberly looked up to see a woman she didn't know walking towards her, in a calm cool fashion. She was clad in black leather from head to toe. Even her short black hair was covered by a stylish leather cap with braided accepts. Her make-up was heavy and dark, a bit of a jeweled accent trailing from her black lips to her chin. Her black leather top bared her shoulders, and her outfit exposed her midriff. Her eyes were cold as they fell on Kim. "I believe we have found the exact person we were looking for." She smirked at Kimberly, and then cast her eyes behind her. Kimberly frowned, and followed her gaze, realizing that the tyrranodrones were closing in on her.

"Excellent job," another new voice hissed. This one sounded quite animalistic. More like what she'd imagine a reptile given the capabilities of human speech would sound like. The new comer was humanoid in the fact that it walked upright on two legs, its body clad entirely in a black trench coat looking garment. Aside from that, the creature was entirely reptilian. Its white boney fingers were each capped with a reddish orange claw. Its head resembled that of a dinosaur, complete with spikes at the back of its skull. The creature possessed a mouth with sharp canine teeth and lacked a clear nose, though its eyes were a set deep under heavy brows. It was the eyes that threw Kimberly the most, as she hadn't expected to find them amber colored, but almost entirely human. Its brows were painted the same reddish orange as its claws, which was a sharp contrast to the white of the rest of its skull. "Seize her!" the creature hissed, and before Kim could react, the tyrranodrones leapt towards her, imprisoning her arms and lifting her off the ground slightly so that she couldn't get leverage from her legs.

She knew immediately who had captured her. She glared at him, and despite knowing that she would not succeed in freeing herself, Kimberly struggled, kicking her legs and jerking her arms the best way she could, not allowing the prehistoric looking minions the chance to relax. "Let me go Mesogog," she growled at him, her eyes set in a deep glare.

"I see my reputation precedes me," Mesogog answered her. She thought she could see amusement in his eyes. The woman behind him wore a delighted smirk. Kimberly struggled to recall her name, but knew the teenagers had mentioned her as well. "Good."

"We won't be letting you go. You're going to help us get to the black ranger," the woman told her, venom in her voice as she mentioned Tommy. Kimberly's glared deepened. Of course that was the reason why she'd been attacked. It didn't matter where or when. They would always use her to get to Tommy. But Tommy didn't know she was there. That was Mesogog's mistake. And if he didn't know she was there, then he couldn't come to her rescue.

"Never," Kimberly growled. "Do your worst," she added. It wasn't just Tommy she had to protect. There were four teenagers who had become near and dear to her heart as well.

"Oh, Kimberly," Mesogog replied. "I plan to." And as he said it, an invisiportal opened up behind him and the woman. Mesogog pointed towards it. "Elsa, see that our guest is made comfortable," he commanded. Elsa nodded, still smirking, and never taking her cold eyes off Kimberly. She walked towards the invisiportal, and the tyrranodrones carried Kimberly through it, Mesagog bringing up the rear.

* * *

Let the chaos resume.

Reviews are always welcome,

Fateless


	33. Chapter 33

Tommy sat at his desk in his classroom, gazing out at the students in his class, and desperately fighting a yawn. It was a struggle to keep his eyes open, despite the fact that it wasn't even three in the afternoon yet. In all of the excitement of the day before, Tommy had completely forgotten about his day job as an absolutely normal science teacher. Meaning that he couldn't exactly take a day off, given all of the time he'd been out 'sick' while stuck in morph. The teenagers had only vacated his home the night before when Connor's parents called, asking why he was an hour late for his curfew. And if he'd had his way, his former teammates wouldn't have left at all. They'd only gone when they realized they'd all started yawning. Aisha had begun to drift off to sleep on the couch, while Katie was already passed out in Rocky's lap. It was about two o'clock in the morning when they'd finally said their goodbyes, promising to meet back up at Cyberspace when Tommy got off work. He thought about that promise now, reminding himself of the times when they would all regroup at the youth center following a day of school. Part of his mind told him he hadn't done that in over half a decade. The other part reminded him it had been less than a week ago.

Tommy glanced out at his class, enjoying the fact that the quiz he'd planned meant he didn't have to struggle to be on his feet and actually lecture to the students. Instead, he lifted his insulated mug to his lips and took another long sip off his eighth cup of coffee for the day. Apparently, staying up till two in the morning and then regaining consciousness at five did not give him enough sleep to teach science for six periods on a school day. He did, however, smirk, as he glanced at four of the teenagers in the classroom. While the other students in the class groaned slightly, or rolled their eyes at several of the questions on the quiz, these four were actively glaring at him in between yawns and drooping eyelids. He snickered slightly. For two weeks he'd promised them they would have a quiz the Monday they returned to school. It wasn't his fault they hadn't believed him.

"When you're finished," Tommy stated, standing up and moving out from behind his desk. He took a seat on top of it, leaning on one of his legs. "You can bring it up here, then pack up. Those of you who aren't done, have until the bell rings," he added, glancing again at the clock which said there was only about a minute or so left until that time.

Many of the students in the classroom put their pens down as he spoke and carried their papers up to the front and began to make a pile on the desk in front of him. None of the four who were glaring at him looked remotely finished. He caught Kira's gaze and held it for a moment before returning her glare with an innocent smile. She just growled and looked back down at her paper.

"That was a tough one, Dr. Oliver," a girl with blue eyes and blond hair done into two pigtailed braids told him, as if she didn't approve. She wore a white V-neck sweater and a pink skirt. She already carried her book bag. Beside her was a teenage boy with medium length shaggy hair. He wore a dark grey t-shirt, with a green zip up sweat shirt over it, jeans, and a ski cap on his head, despite the fact that it wasn't remotely cold out.

"Sorry you feel that way, Cassidy," Tommy replied, shaking his head at the teenager.

"I didn't think it was that hard," the boy beside her argued. Tommy sighed and smiled slightly.

"That's because you studied, Devin," Tommy told him. "You might want to try that next time Cassidy," he added as the shrill sound of the school bell ringing broke through the room. About half a dozen students let out a groan that accompanied the sounds of the rest of the class grabbing their book bags and pushing in their chairs. "Those of you not finished. Put your pencils down. Connor," he stated, "that includes you."

"But Dude!" Connor tried to argue, Ethan and Trent snickering at him. Kira just rolled her eyes, ignoring her teammates, as Tommy moved forward to collect the remainder of the quizzes that were out. He ventured far enough away from the door of the classroom that he couldn't see beyond it. However, he could just barely make out a vaguely familiar voice above the din of the students.

"Excuse me," the voice stated, "can you direct me to Dr. Thomas Oliver's classroom?"

"Yeah sure," Cassidy's perky voice retorted. She must have just left the classroom. Tommy spun around, grabbing the last of the quizzes, which just happened to be Connor's. He frowned towards the door, ignoring the glare that Connor was giving him. Ethan, Kira, and Trent were packing up their book bags, making sure they'd put their writing utensils away. Unlike usual, they were hurrying to pack up their things. Normally they would have stayed to talk to Tommy after class, but they had new or rather old, friends to meet up with. "It's right in here," Cassidy added. Tommy envisioned that she had pointed to the door behind her, before walking off with Devin.

"Thanks," the voice stated, before its owner stuck a head inside the classroom and looked around. The individual's eyes fell first on the teacher's desk, finding it a mess, but empty, before scanning the rest of the room. Besides Tommy and the four dino thunder teenagers, there were a handful of other students around. The new comer let a smirk fall onto his features, as his blue eyes locked onto Tommy's brown ones and he realized that the person he was seeking wore a stunned expression. He laughed slightly at his friend's expression. "You wouldn't be Dr. Tommy Oliver, would you?" he asked, knowing full well he was, and over exaggerating the term doctor.

Tommy felt his cheeks blush a bright red as he stood there, locked in place. The teenagers heard the voice of the new arrival as well, and looked up, smiles breaking out on their faces. Only a cautionary look from the person who now walked into the classroom kept them from jumping up and shouting his name in welcome. Grinning, they turned to look at Tommy who was still gaping like a fish.

"This a bad time?" the individual asked, still smiling. He was having a hard time keeping his composure and not doubling over in laughter at the sight of what looked like his friend about to pass out in the middle of his own classroom. In answer to his question, Tommy did manage to shut his mouth and shake his head. Connor and the other three other teenage rangers slowed the pace of their packing up, pretending to linger inside the classroom like the normally did when they needed to talk to Tommy about private business. Tommy ignored them, and walked forward, stopping just in front of the man who was clad in a blue button down shirt and black slacks. The man carried a duffle bag over his shoulder. Tommy studied his features. It wasn't that he didn't recognize him, but rather that he hadn't seen him without the blurriness and snow that accompanied the long distance video chat in a very long time.

"I thought you said it would be a few days?" Tommy finally managed to state, confusion beginning to take the place of his shock, as the last of his normal students left the room, Connor on the student's heels, shutting the door firmly, and locking it. The new arrival opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off.

"Billy! You're here!" Ethan laughed, rushing forward to hug him, as soon as Connor had shut the door. The former blue ranger hugged the current one back, a distinct friendship clearly reflected in both their faces.

"Promised I would be," Billy stated simply.

"But from another planet," Kira laughed, pushing Ethan out of the way so that she could hug him as well. "We had no idea," she stated.

"At the time, neither did I," Billy laughed. Connor and Trent each came forward and shook his hand, grinning happily. Billy peered over Trent's shoulder at Tommy who was standing at his desk. "A few days; day and a half; same difference," Billy told Tommy with a laugh.

Tommy finally managed to believe what he was seeing and shook his head. He held out his hand to shake Billy's. The former blue ranger rolled his eyes, grabbed his hand and pulled him into a hug. Tommy returned it tightly, before they both stepped back and appraised each other, taking in a physical inventory. "You've been in a battle," Billy told him, frowning, noticing a few scrapes and bruises that most people would have ignored. He noticed that the four teenagers had them as well.

"Power ranger," Tommy replied simply, "remember?" retaking a seat on the edge of his desk and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Among other things," Billy confirmed, looking over at the teenagers. "This is weird. I feel like they're supposed to be our age," Billy stated, taking in the four teenagers appearance.

"You think it's weird," Connor stated. "Try being on this end. You were seventeen last time we saw you, which at this point was only two days ago."

"Talk about rapid age acceleration," Ethan laughed, before noticing that Billy's face paled at his statement.

"Let's not," he stated, trying to keep the anxiety out of his voice. Tommy snorted a laugh, remembering the last time he'd seen his friend in person.

"We're missing something," Kira stated, confused, looking between the two adults in the classroom.

"Maybe we'll tell you later," Tommy stated, actually glad that he and Billy knew something they didn't. Billy smiled weakly at him in thanks. He had no desire to relive one of the scariest moments of his life.

"So, Dr. Oliver," Billy laughed. "This is where you teach?"

"Obviously," Tommy retorted. "You knew to find me at Cyberspace. Haley would have made you comfortable until I got out of school. Why come here?"

"Thought this would be more fun," Billy retorted with a laugh. "So, who else beat me here?" Billy asked.

"Rocky, Aisha, Adam, and Tanya," Tommy told him. He saw his friends face falter slightly when he didn't mention Kim's name. He knew Billy wouldn't have missed that. He knew Billy would want to discuss it soon. "Meeting them at Cyberspace. You coming?"

"Where else would I go?" Billy stated. He looked at the teenagers. "Lead the way," he stated, as the four grabbed their book bags and led the way out the door and to the parking lot. "Not walking distance?" he asked, when Tommy turned to head to the faculty lot at the school. He shook his head.

"Meet you there," Tommy stated to teenagers. "Don't speed," he added in, looking directly at Connor. The teenagers nodded and waved, taking off towards their respective cars and rides. Tommy looked at Billy and frowned. "How did you get here anyway?"

"Transport set me down in a clearing in the woods. I walked into town," Billy stated with a laugh. Tommy rolled his eyes and led the way to his jeep.

"And where exactly do you plan to stay?" Tommy asked him as Billy tossed his duffle bag into the back of the jeep. The former ranger genius just shrugged his shoulders. "You'll stay with me. End of story," Tommy stated. Billy smiled, knowing better than to argue with him as they both climbed into the vehicle.

The two rode in comfortable silence, just actually enjoying being in one another's physical presence. Of the entire group that was present, Tommy had known Billy the longest. It was easy to just be there; neither needing to say anything to the other.

They pulled into a parking spot near the cyber café just after Connor and Trent's vehicles. Tommy turned to Billy, as he took the keys out of the ignition. "If you thought their greeting was exuberant, you know what's going to happen when you go in there. You ready for this?" Tommy asked him, a slight smile on his face.

Billy nodded, letting a grin fall on his face. "Yeah," he stated. "Just promise you'll save me if they start to smother me."

"Nope," Tommy laughed. "I may have figuratively dropped off the face of the earth. You really left the planet. You'll have to deal with the consequences of your actions," Tommy told him, grinning. Billy gave him an amused glare, but followed him around the car and towards Cyberspace, the teenagers entering first.

"Sorry we're late," Tommy stated, walking in and finding his four former teammates seated on the couches in the big half circle window at the front of the place. Haley was sitting with them, talking and trying to get to know them. The smile of greeting he gave her didn't reach his eyes, and Haley returned it with a questioning look. Tommy shook his head slightly, indicating he'd talk to her later. There were a few things he needed to say to her about what he'd discovered the evening before, but they could wait until he could get her alone. Connor, Kira, and Ethan claimed spots on the sofa, while Trent went behind the counter to get them each something to drink.

"Uncky Ranger," Katie squealed, sliding off the couch from where she'd been sitting next to Aisha. Rocky held Luke, who was enjoying a bottle. The little girl dashed toward Tommy, and he bent down to scoop her up.

"Guess there are some things that don't change," Adam laughed at him. Tommy glared back playfully.

"I have a legitimate excuse," Tommy defended himself, he stepped to the side, revealing their interplanetary visitor.

"Billy!" Aisha and Tanya both shouted, jumping off the couch nearly as fast as Katie had when she'd seen Tommy. Adam and Rocky were right behind them, Rocky balancing his infant son in one arm. Tommy stepped out of the way to avoid being trampled, and fell onto the couch beside Kira. He perched Katie on his lap who gave him a confused look, glancing back and forth between Tommy and her parents.

"Don't worry Katie," Tommy laughed at the girl. "He's another uncle." Katie frowned at him and shook her head, sending her pigtailed hair bouncing back and forth with the force of it.

"No," she stated simply. "Boo," she added in, turning her attention back to her parents and watching.

Trent returned while Billy was caught up trying to pry Aisha's arms off of his neck. The greetings had gone on for a while, and when Billy finally made it free from the former rangers, Tommy and the dino thunder teenagers were all sitting relaxed on the sofas, drinks in hand. However, there was one more person waiting to greet him. His eyes landed on Haley, who had patiently waited her turn to finally meet him in person.

"Haley," he stated, with a nod, walking forward and giving her a hug. Haley returned it, stepping back with the first real smile she'd worn since meeting any of Tommy's friends. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you," he stated.

"Likewise," Haley stated.

"You've done amazing work with their tech," he told her. Haley beamed at his praise. Everything that Tommy had told her about Billy made her respect him. All of the video conversations they'd had had only increased that respect.

"I had your help," she stated, leading him back over to the sofas and everyone else, who had resumed their seats. She and Billy each took seats with them, Billy sitting beside Rocky. Tommy still had Katie on his lap.

"Boo," the girl stated again, giggling. She turned to Tommy and looked him dead in the face, placing her hands on each of his cheeks. "Not uncky ranger."

"What did she just say?" Billy looked at the child, studying her features for a moment. "She looks just like you, by the way Rocky." For a moment, Tommy was slightly disappointed that Billy seemed to know who Katie was. After all, Tommy had been on earth, while Billy was on Aquitar. But Billy had never stopped his contact with his friends. Of course he would have known about Rocky and Aisha's children.

"I think she said Blue," Adam laughed. While Rocky had of course been the blue ranger for a while, he stuck mostly with wearing red. Their first colors had always meant a little bit more to them. Katie hadn't actually been around any other blue rangers on a consistent basis, and therefore hadn't identified the color with a specific member of her social circle. However, she still had her uncanny perception abilities, and had noticed the primary color of Billy's wardrobe.

"I deduced that," Billy replied. "What is an 'uncky ranger'?" he added with a laugh, and both Adam and Tommy blushed.

"Apparently, it is Katie's term for all those who wear or have worn a black uniform," Tanya laughed, snuggling against Adam's shoulder. Billy looked at the two individuals involved and nodded, a smirk on his face.

"Katie," Rocky stated, reaching out and taking her off Tommy's lap, placing her on his own, turning her so she could easily see Billy. He'd since passed off Luke to his mother, as the baby was slightly fussing. "This is your Uncle Billy," he told the toddler, who then took a few moments to study Billy.

"Uncky?" Katie asked for a moment, unsure of the word. She looked at Adam and then again at Tommy, before frowning, and shaking her head. "Boo!" she stated, with pure certainty, her eyes locked dead with Billy's, who was grinning.

"Guess you're Boo from now on," Tommy snorted laughter.

"I can live with that," Billy replied, with a nod. "It's nice to meet you Katie," he added, to the child. Katie giggled and buried her face in Rocky's neck, deciding to play shy for at least a few moments.

"How was school today, guys?" Haley asked the teenagers, noticing a few yawns from the group.

"Not bad," Trent replied.

"But someone was a bit cruel," Connor threw in, glaring at Tommy.

"I gave you two weeks' notice!"

"A weekend is not two weeks," Kira argued.

"Maybe not for most people," Tommy snorted. "Don't blame me. I tried to get you to go to the library and study more often for the quiz. It's not my fault you thought it was more important to hang out with these guys," he added, in, pointing to his friends, who were laughing.

"Tommy, after everything they went through, did you seriously give them a quiz?" Rocky asked.

Tommy just smirked and nodded. "Don't look at me like that," he added in, clearly reading the thoughts of all of the other adults, except Haley. "I didn't give them any homework today."

"Oooo," Ethan stated. "One day off. We're so grateful."

"I could assign a paper," Tommy told him, with a laugh.

"Please don't," Connor groaned. "I've got soccer practice starting tomorrow."

"Oh," Adam stated. "I owe you a match," he added.

"You remembered?" Connor laughed, and Adam nodded, with a grin.

"Why don't we go now?" Adam suggested. "We've been sitting around all day. I could use some exercise."

"Sure," Connor agreed, nodding his head. "We'll take my car. I'll bring you back to Dr. O's place afterwards."

"Mind if I come?" Rocky asked.

"Not at all," Connor replied.

"Did you ask if I do?" Aisha smiled at Rocky. "If you're going, you could at least bring the little ape with you," she told him. Rocky gave her a pleading look, causing her to burst out laughing. "Oh, alright," she stated. "But you owe me some time off later," she added in. Rocky nodded, and handed Katie to Kira, who had her arms out in offering. Katie happily went to the youngest yellow ranger of the group, babbling enthusiastically. He then leaned over and kissed Aisha.

"You cool Tanya?" Adam asked her. She smiled and nodded, tilting her head up to receive her own kiss goodbye. Adam obliged, and followed Connor and Rocky out of Cyberspace. She watched him go before turning back to the rest of the group and catching the look on Tommy's face. He actually looked disappointed that Adam and Rocky had just left. He was staring at the doorway. Tanya giggled and nudged Aisha, who frowned, and then followed her friend's line of sight, a smile creeping onto her face.

"Aww, Tommy, did your feelings get hurt? Your friends left to play without you?" Aisha teased him. Tommy realized he was indeed pouting over the fact that they'd left and hadn't invited him. "You're forgetting, we see them as our friends too. We remember being the same age as them," Aisha added in, and Tommy nodded.

"I do too," he stated. "Which is beyond bizarre," Tommy stated, looking over at Kira, Trent, and Ethan who were laughing at him. He shuddered slightly. "Don't you three have homework to do?" he asked them. Kira shook her head no, mentioning a study hall period, while Ethan nodded. Trent shrugged.

"Not homework, but I should go get on the clock," Trent replied, kissing Kira.

"Good idea," Haley told him with a grin. Trent grinned back before walking off to start his afternoon shift. "I've got some work to get done as well. Billy, we can talk shop later?" she asked.

"Absolutely," he replied, grinning back. "I look forward to it."

Haley nodded and walked away, either missing or ignoring the look Tommy was giving her. He wasn't entirely sure which. Ethan followed, heading to a table to get started on some of his homework, leaving Tommy with Kira, Aisha, Tanya, Billy, and Luke.

"You really are jealous of Connor," Kira snorted, realizing her science teacher's face still reflected abandonment.

"I am not," Tommy stated back, trying to rearrange his facial expression.

"Face it, Tommy," Billy laughed at him. "You most definitely are."

* * *

Rocky sat on the metal bleachers watching Adam and Connor. It was Adam's turn as goalie, while Connor was attempting to get the ball past him. When they'd flipped a coin for it, Adam had won and opted to attempt to score first. Connor had only let a few of Adam's attempts actually succeed. The boy was fast, even without his ranger ability employed.

Already, Connor was leading Adam's score by at least three goals. Rocky watched as Connor brought the ball down the field, his eyes never leaving Adam. He instinctively knew where the ball was. Rocky knew before Connor even sent the ball flying that it was going to go right past Adam. He watched his friend dive to the right in an attempt to stop the ball, which sailed just over his hands and into the waiting net.

"Nice job, Connor!" Rocky called out, walking towards the two on the field. For a few moments, he'd been able to forget that he and Adam were both twenty seven years old, as he watched his two friends play. He suspected Adam had forgotten as well, and unfortunately, that was going to come back to bite him as he'd pushed himself to play a sport he was no longer as good at. "Adam, stick to martial arts man," he added. Adam laughed, pushing himself onto his hands and knees and nodded.

"You played well," Connor laughed, as the three of them joined each other near the goal. Adam stood up as they reached him, and stretched, his muscles throbbing. Only at the point did he fully realize that there was an age difference between him and Connor.

"Not good enough," Adam replied. "I'll listen to Rocky and stick with martial arts." His eyes suddenly went from amused to frowning, as he peered over Connor's shoulder.

"What?" Connor asked him, sensing the change in his mood. Rocky did as well, and turned to follow Adam's line of sight. "Of course," Connor growled, rolling his eyes as he looked behind him as well. A large group of tyrranodrones were moving straight towards them. "Mesogog rarely gives us more than a day off," he groaned. "You guys should head back to the car for safety."

"Connor," Rocky stated. He and Adam had shifted instinctively into defensive stances on either side of the teenager. "Do you remember who you're talking to?"

"Dr. O will kill me if anything happens to either of you," Connor protested. "You fought these things," he added to Rocky. "You know they're too strong for an unmorphed fight," he added in.

"Who said anything about unmorphed?" Adam retorted, turning his head away from the tyrannodrones and locking eyes with Rocky. Rocky gave him a determined look and nodded his head once. Both men held their right and left arms out to the sides and flicked both their wrists. Morphers that Connor hadn't seen before appeared. The teenager blinked a few times, in shock. He might not have seen them before, but there was no denying what they were or what would happen if they were used.

"Well, that explains where Dr. O came up with the wrist flick technology," he stated, shaking his head. "If you're sure about this, I won't stop you," he added with a smirk, flicking his own wrist and bringing his morpher up to his chest, pressing the right control. "Dino Thunder! Power Up!" he shouted, not waiting for a reply from Adam or Rocky. They were grown men, perfectly capable of making their own decisions.

Connor heard Rocky's familiar shout of "It's morphin time," as the two men lifted their arms over their head and crisscrossed them, bringing them down in front of their faces and ending over their chest. Connor turned to look at them. Their hands formed fists as they blazed green and blue, and their right arms stopped in a vertical position, while their left crossed their chest horizontally, both arms meeting at the wrist, left arm in front. When the two pieces of their morphers united, they blazed with white light for a moment, before the two rangers rotated their arms together to the left, forming an X across their chest.

"Zeo Ranger three, blue," Rocky shouted, as an inverted blue triangle appeared over his face. A moment later he was clad in a mostly blue ranger suit. The suit was white around the shoulders and neck, the design of which was edged in gold. A second gold design wrapped around the base of the neck. The gloves and boots were solid white, edged in gold again. A gold belt wrapped around his waist, with two gold weapon holsters - one on either hip. The helmet was solid blue, the inverted triangle having formed the black visor.

"Zeo Ranger four, green," Adam had shouted only a second after Rocky, and morphed into an identical ranger suit, save for color, and the shape of his visor being that of a rectangle. Connor blinked behind his own visor, trying to remember why he wasn't looking at a second red ranger and a black ranger. He shook himself out of his stupor and turned back to face the tyrannodrones, raising his wrist to his mouth as they closed in. Three rangers was good, but he had no idea how strong or how stable Rocky and Adam's powers were. He needed back up.

* * *

Tommy, Billy, and Haley sat on one of the sofas of cyberspace just talking about mundane things in general, while Aisha, Kira, and Tanya talked quietly, playing with the two DeSantos children, Kira taking the opportunity to get to know another member of the lineage she was part of. Trent stopped by every so often to chat, or visit Kira, which all of the adults found amusing. Ethan worked diligently on his homework nearby. For once it seemed like they might actually have a relatively quiet and uneventful afternoon.

However, the peace and quiet didn't last long as a few tones sounded from the silver and black bracelet device Tommy wore on his wrist. Kira and Haley frowned, while Aisha, Billy, and Tanya jumped, not being used to a sound emanating as frequently. Trent and Ethan didn't seem concerned, so Kira figured the communication was being sent solely to Tommy, who looked around. None of the patrons of Cyberspace were paying the group of adults any attention, so Tommy very quietly lifted the bracelet to his mouth.

"Go ahead Connor," he stated, knowing the red ranger was the only one of his team currently not there.

"Hate to break up your time with friends, Dr. O, but we've got company in the form of tyrannodrones at the high school soccer field. I could use some back up."

"We're on our way," Tommy replied, looking at Kira who passed Luke who she'd been holding back to his mother. She went to get Ethan. "Haley, can you spare Trent?"

"Absolutely," Haley replied, flagging the white clad teenager down. A moment later, Tommy and the three teenagers left Cyberspace. Haley peered at the worried faces around her, before sighing. "Come with me," she told them. "Kyla, watch the front. I have to do something in back," Haley told another of her teenage employees, who nodded. Tanya scooped up Katie, and the three former rangers followed Haley behind the counter and then to a back room. She punched a few keys on an electronic lock on a door that appeared to lead to a storage closet. The lock hissed, and Haley pulled the door open, ushering the others inside and closing the door, as she flipped on a light. Computers and surveillance equipment filled the cramped room. Haley pulled on a head set and booted up one of the computers. Smirking as she realized the three former rangers were glancing around at their surroundings, stunned. "You didn't think I let them do this on their own, did you?" she laughed. They gave her smiles in return and shook their heads.

A moment later, Haley had the computer monitor up and running. She typed a few commands on the nearest key board and logged into a camera that overlooked the soccer field. She frowned when she saw Connor, standing defensively gesturing toward the advancing group of tyrannodrones. He was flanked by what appeared to be a blue and green ranger. She knew Tommy and the others could get there fast, but that amount of time, was a bit beyond ridiculous. Besides, they didn't have a green ranger. Haley rapidly typed on the computer, zooming in on the three rangers on the field.

"Oh hell no," Tanya stated, letting Katie slide down to the floor. She kept one hand on the little girl's shoulder holding her in place. "I'm going to kill him!"

"Not if I get to them before you," Aisha stated, glaring at the screen. Haley turned in her chair to see both women looked pale, anger flashing in their eyes. She looked at Billy who wore an amused expression, his head in his hand, and the other arm across his chest, supporting his elbow.

"Is that?" she asked him. Billy sighed and nodded.

"Rocky and Adam in Zeo morph," he replied. "Tommy might kill them himself," he added, desperately trying to contain his laughter.

* * *

Tommy, Kira, Ethan, and Trent, had morphed on the fly as they ran from Cyberspace to the soccer fields. The boost their ranger powers gave them allowed them to make it in record time. Maybe it was because Tommy was concerned about two individuals he knew to be with Connor. It wasn't until they reached the field that Tommy began to question if he should have been concerned for their safety or their sanity. He skidded to a halt just to the side of the battle, observing the fact that there were three multicolored rangers fighting the tyrannodrones. Inside his helmet, his face paled, and his mouth dropped open again. He was beginning to worry if his face would freeze like that.

"Kira," he stated, cautiously.

"Yeah Dr. O?"

"How many rangers do you see?"

"Including us," she stated, "seven."

"And how many of us are there normally?"

"Um… five?" she stated, the inflection in her voice questioning his sanity.

"That's what I thought," Tommy said calmly, clutching his helmet covered head in his hand. He looked up, dropping his hands away and rounded on the two that didn't match the rest of the team in any way, despite the fact that both were engaged in battle with tyrranodrones. "What the hell do you two think you're trying to pull!" he shouted at them. "How did you even? What the hell!" He couldn't even form a coherent thought. The three other teenagers, watched, confused.

"We figured Connor could use some help until you got here," Rocky's voice emanated from the unfamiliar blue ranger. Tommy growled in response. It was clearly not the answer he was looking for.

"We're here," he retorted. "You can run to safety now; you know, with the other civilians."

"Not happening Tommy," the green ranger replied, clearly indicating to Ethan, Kira, and Trent that this was Adam. Both, continued to fight the tyrannodrones between the conversations with Tommy.

"Are you even aware how stupid and dangerous this is?" Tommy growled at them.

"Dr. O," Connor interrupted. "Can I interrupt your tirade to request that you hand them their asses later?"

"No," Tommy replied, even as Ethan, Kira, and Trent snapped out of their surprise and jumped into the battle. They'd been surprised by the additional two rangers, that they'd almost forgotten what they were there to do.

"Then it's an order. Get your black ranger ass over here and help us!" he shouted, assuming leadership. He had a feeling Tommy would be pissed at him later, but for the moment, he didn't care. He could feel Tommy's glare through their visors as their eyes met for a brief second, but the black ranger conceded and jumped into the battle as well.

Between the seven of them, they made quick work of defeating the tyrranodrones. Very little damage was done to the rangers or to the surroundings, although Connor's soccer ball did get squashed. However, once the mutations had been destroyed, no other monster appeared. The seven rangers regrouped in the center of the field, looking around, confused.

"This makes no sense," Ethan growled angrily. "Mesogog is playing games with us."

"He has a sick sense of humor," Connor agreed. Trent and Kira just nodded. A bolt of green electricity suddenly jutted out of the sky, striking the center of their circle, and causing all seven rangers to jump backwards. When the smoke cleared a moment later, the spot on the ground where it had struck was charred black. A small package that appeared to be wrapped in canvas and twine lay in the center. Around them, the sky cleared, and birds began to chirp again, a clear signal from the more sensitive animals that the battle was indeed over. Connor sensed it, and shouted 'power down', demorphing. The six others followed suit. Adam and Rocky both leaned forward on their knees, sapped of a lot more energy than the other five, their skin was pale, and they were sweating a bit. Tommy could even see that their limbs were trembling slightly. However, both met his glaze defiantly, daring him to say something. Tommy glared at them for a moment before focusing his attention back on the package. He stooped down and picked it up.

"What is it?" Trent asked, his eyes moving from Adam and Rocky to Tommy. He figured if Tommy wasn't acting worried about them, than they would probably be fine. Connor and Kira both shrugged in response.

"I'm getting sick of these cryptic attacks," Kira replied. "Why can't he just attack like a normal evil creature and be done with it?"

"It's a message," Tommy stated, unwrapping the package. Everyone frowned at him, leaning in closer to see what was inside. In the center of the canvas, was a tiny scrap of pink fabric. Connor reached forward and picked it up out of Tommy's hands, frowning at it.

"What's it mean?" he asked, confused. He didn't understand how Tommy had gotten message from a piece of what appeared to be trash.

"Mother fucker!" Tommy hissed, his face going pale. The four teenagers looked at him and then sent questioning looks to Adam and Rocky whose faces showed realization.

"Mesogog's got Kim," Adam told them simply, his and Rocky's faces almost as pale as Tommy's.

* * *

And now the others know what's happened to Kim - sorta. And I will have an explanation for Adam and Rocky being affected by Zeo Powers while Tommy did not appear to be at the end of Forever Red, so no worries there. Still striving for as much cannon continuity as possible.

Oh, and I've been re-watching the series and just recently hit "There's no Business Like Snow Business" as well as "A season to remember" and my husband laughed at me every time I glared at the screen. Like I said - I like Kat, but not with Tommy. LOL.

Reviews appreciated, and there may be another chapter posted this evening. I always give you guys 3-4 over the weekend.

Fateless


	34. Chapter 34

Two chapters in one day. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

When she'd first arrived, Elsa had commanded the tyrannodrones to throw her into the cell. She was pretty sure that Mesogog's general hadn't been expecting Kim to land gracefully and roll to her feet. She'd turned to find Elsa glaring at her before the cell door had clanged shut, and Elsa had whirled around and left her alone to examine her surroundings. The cell was small. There was a flat rock ledge that was long enough for her to stretch out on. The entire area was lite with a greenish glow, but Kimberly couldn't really tell where it was coming from. Three of the cell's walls were made of rock. The fourth was bars that extended all the way to the cave's ceiling with a barred door in it.

Kimberly paced back and forth, barefoot, in a cave like looking cell. It wasn't the first time she'd ever been imprisoned, and she had a feeling it wouldn't be her last. The morphing grid gods apparently had a sense of humor. Her dress was torn in a few places, and she'd removed her shoes, leaving them on top of a boulder in her cell. She wasn't sure exactly how long she'd been there, but it had been at least several hours. She'd slept a bit, and they had fed her, although she wasn't sure it could have actually been called food. She was pretty sure it wasn't Sunday anymore.

It was several hours after she'd been fed when Elsa returned with a few tyrannodrones. She carried a very strange looking device in her hands. The end of it had two prongs, and blue electricity bounced between them. She's approached Kimberly's cell, and stopped, a smirk on her face, her eyes amused, but cold. "Well, Ms. Hart," she stated. "We need to let the black ranger know you're here. We can do it the easy way or the hard way."

"I'll never help you get to him," Kim stated flatly, her eyes never leaving the device Elsa held. She really didn't like the look of it.

"I was hoping you'd say that," Elsa laughed. There was darkness and malice in her voice. Without batting an eyes, Elsa thrust the device at the nearest tyrannodrone, allowing the electricity laced prongs to touch it. It let out a shriek and withered in pain, until Elsa pulled back the device. Kim's eyes went wide, but other than that, she was determined not to show fear. She couldn't let Tommy know Mesogog had her. She knew him. He'd do absolutely anything to get her back, even if it meant his own destruction. Elsa stepped back a bit, after her demonstration, and the tyrannodrones opened, Kimberly's cell, several of them walking in and grabbing her before she could react. They dragged her forward, forcing her to her knees in front of Elsa. Kim noticed one of the tyrannodrones held something that resembled a recorder. She immediately knew how Elsa and Mesogog planned to tell Tommy that Kim was their captive. The evil general grabbed Kim's chin, and forced her to look up and meet her eyes. "I'm going to enjoy this," Elsa stated, with a laugh. She tossed Kim's chin away from her and thrust the device at her.

Kim felt the device touch the skin of her shoulder, and her eyes shot open. It felt like she was both freezing and burning from the inside out at the exact same time. Pain seared from the point of contact, racing out in all directions. Her nerves screamed for relief, the pain increasing the longer Elsa held the device in contact with her body. They tyrannodrones maintained their grip on her, holding her upright so Elsa could see her. Kim's head however, fell forward, hanging limply. However, she did not cry out. Angered, Elsa drew the device away with her right hand. With her left, she grabbed Kimberly's chin again, thrusting her head upwards to look at her.

The former ranger's eyes were bright with unshed tears and were bloodshot. Her skin was pale, and she was panting as she attempted to catch her breath. Blood pooled in her mouth, running down the sides and dripping to the floor, some of it collecting where Elsa held her. She'd bit her lip hard enough to split it in her desperation not to make any noise. She glared up at Elsa defiantly. The general growled, tossing Kimberly's head away again, and thrusting the device at a new location. "I'll make you scream!" she taunted. Kimberly shook her head violently, but remained silent, accept for a few whimpers that escaped her. She was no longer a teenager. She wasn't helpless, or even in a mood of wanting to act helpless to get Tommy's attention. She was a former power ranger. Perfectly capable of handling herself. For once, she felt, he needed her to protect him. Angered, Elsa began shifting the position of the device more rapidly, hoping to hit a place where Kim wouldn't be able to handle the pain any longer. After several minutes, she pulled away completely, and the tyrannodrones released an exhausted Kim, who caught her body on the palms of her hands. Her head and hair hung limply. Blood dripped from her mouth onto the cave floor, as she knelt there on her hands and knees, breathing labored. She used what little strength she had left to tilt her head up and smirk at Elsa.

Elsa screamed out, anger in her voice and her eyes. She lunged forward with the device again, striking Kimberly in the face with it. Kim's body shuddered with the effort it took to not scream out. Her eyes rolled back into her head, and she collapsed onto the floor. Passing out was her body's last defense against the pain. Elsa frowned, growling under her breath slightly when her captive passed out. She bent down towards her, checking for a pulse. Finding it, she ripped off a piece of Kimberly's dress.

"Her screams would have been better, but this will have to do," she stated simply, glaring at Kim's body. She kicked her slightly, and then turned to the tyrannodrones. "Throw her back in," she shouted, turning her back on them as they did as they were told. She walked out of the cave, bringing what she could to Mesogog.

* * *

Adam's statement hadn't fully sunk in when Connor's communicator suddenly went off. He looked over at Tommy, determining that his mentor was in no state to talk, and answered the link.

"Haley," he stated simply, not even sure what to say. He didn't know yet how much she had actually seen or heard.

"Connor," she replied. "What's going on? All we saw was the bolt of electricity. I couldn't zoom in enough to see what was in the package. Is Tommy alright?" her words were coming across very rapidly. Connor glanced up, looking worried at Tommy, and even at Adam and Rocky who both looked very sick, and not from their recent morphing expedition. Since Adam had stated what the message meant, both had turned slightly green. He then looked at Kira, Ethan, and Trent as if to ask if he should reply. His three teammates shrugged, at a complete loss, before they turned their attention back to Tommy who had begun to pace, and was talking to himself. Connor wasn't a hundred percent sure that he wasn't having a mental break down. Rocky looked like he wanted to punch something again, and Adam was staring at his feet.

"I'm honestly not sure," Connor stated, still watching his mentor. "But it's not good. I'd rather not discuss it here though."

"Alright," Haley replied, although her voice sounded unsure. "We'll meet back at command."

"See you there," he spoke, ending the transmission. "Dr. O?" he stated, looking up. The rest of his teammates, as well as Adam and Rocky looked up at him, before directing their gaze to Tommy who didn't seem to have heard. Connor looked even more worried when the current black ranger did not stop pacing.

"Tommy!" Rocky yelled, glaring at him. His voice seemed to get through, and the man stopped, looking up from his feet. He looked like he was either going to explode or pass out. "You need to pull it together," he added, but the teenagers weren't sure if he was saying it for Tommy, Adam, or himself. Tommy's gaze landed on him, but it didn't appear that he was focused on his former teammate. "Are you even here right now?" Rocky asked, more gently.

"This is why!" Tommy started screaming, anger in his voice. "This is why I pulled away! This is what I knew would happen!"

"Tommy," Adam stated. "You have got to calm down," he added in. Tommy glared at him for a moment, but did actually take a few deep breaths. "You know better than anyone that if we're going to get her back, we've got to keep our heads."

"We?" Tommy asked him, looking from him to Rocky. For a moment, he was able to set his terror over the fact that Mesagog had Kim aside. "We aren't going to do anything," he stated. Seeing Adam and Rocky in morph had terrified him. Yes, he'd used his zeo powers two years ago, but after the battle, he'd felt drained, exhausted, too tired to go hang out with the other red rangers. He'd hid it well; playing it off that he was too cool for them. He was pretty sure Jason wasn't going to forgive that one, if he worked up the nerve to call him. But the point was, he had no idea how well connected to the morphing grid the zeo powers were. "We," he hissed, pointing to himself, Kira, Ethan, Trent, and Connor, "are going to save Kim. You two are sitting this one out."

"Not a chance," Rocky told him, glaring.

"Am I the only one who sees how weak you are?" Tommy growled. "Those were just tyrranodrones. We're talking Mesogog here!"

"Tommy," Adam stated. "We're adults; we know the risk; and you are no longer technically our leader. You can't stop us." He and Rocky were clearly doing better, but still looked tired.

Tommy shook his head, snickering angrily. He looked back up at them. "Maybe I can't," he stated. "But Haley's got a system similar to our old viewing globe. I know I'm not the only one who saw you." Both Adam and Rocky paled a bit more at what he was suggesting, but didn't break their defiant glare with Tommy. Still, he knew he'd managed to touch a nerve in both of them.

"Dr. O?" Kira stated. "Could we not discuss this here?"

"Yeah," Trent threw in, glancing around. No one had shown up yet, but he knew it would only be a matter of time before people got curious. "Please?"

Tommy looked over at the teenagers, breaking the glaring contest he was having with his two former teammates. He sighed and nodded.

"It'll be a tight fit, but we can deal with the five minute ride in my car to Cyberspace," Connor stated. The group nodded, Adam and Rocky doing their best to ignore Tommy.

The seven made the trip to the cyber café in silence. They weren't surprised to find both Rocky and Haley's cars missing from the parking lot. Kira and Trent jumped out and climbed into Trent's car, and despite their reluctance to talk to him, Rocky and Adam followed Tommy to his jeep. They may not have agreed on the logistics of how they were going to save Kim, but at the moment, just being near each other was what they needed, as each was going over in his head exactly what Kimberly being taken meant.

All three cars sped off out of the parking lot, arriving at Tommy's within seconds of each other. Tommy led the way inside and down into the cave. Only Rocky hadn't been down there yet, and as he and Adam entered last, he was gazing around, stunned. As a result, he didn't notice his wife charging towards him, until the force of her hitting him, knocked him back against a wall.

"You idiot!" she yelled, both of her hands pressed against his chest; fury and worry in every crevice on her face. "You fucking idiot! What on earth were you thinking? You could have been killed! And then what? You had no way of knowing those powers would hold out! How do you expect me to explain what happened to you to Katie and Luke?" she growled, pounding her fists against his chest. The teenagers had all put as much space between Aisha and Rocky and themselves as they could. Haley was sitting at the main computers, Billy in one of the chairs beside her. Tommy had immediately run up to the main computers, and was leaning over Haley's other shoulder instructing her to search for different patterns. For a moment the three had been looking at the monitors, but as soon as Aisha had begun speaking, they'd all turned around. Tanya leaned against a wall near Tommy's desk, one eyebrow raised, and her face dead still, eyes locked on Adam who now stood just behind Aisha and Rocky. "And you!" Aisha hissed, rounding on Adam. He jumped back, not expecting her to turn on him. She stalked towards him, driving him backwards towards the sofa. "You're supposed to be the smart one of the two of you! You're supposed to keep him from acting without thinking! You already had one near death experience. Did you need another?" she growled, as Adam tripped backwards and landed on the sofa on his back.

"Sorry," he squeaked out, his hands up in front of his face, expecting her to attack. He realized she had tears running down her face, and actually felt guilty that he and Rocky had scared her so badly.

"Ugh!" she growled, drawing back her fist and landing one blow on his arm that was covering his face.

"Oww," he groaned, sitting up and rubbing his arm as Aisha turned away from him. He looked over at Rocky, and glared at him as if to say 'this is your fault'. Rocky hadn't yet moved from the wall, but now he came forward and wrapped Aisha in his arms. She fought him for a moment, but after a second allowed him to hold her, turning and sobbing a bit into his chest.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Rocky told her, doing his best to comfort her. Adam turned his attention away from them and looked at Tanya.

"You gonna yell at me too?" he asked her. Tanya sighed and shook her head. She walked over and sat down beside him.

"Aisha did it for me," she told him, looking him over with worried eyes. "Thought you said they were in your other pants," she smirked at him. Adam returned hers with one of his own and a shrug, before looking up at Tommy, Haley, and Billy at the computers. The teenagers finally felt things had calmed enough, and they walked closer to the center of the room. Monsters and mutants they could handle. Volatile ex-rangers, or maybe not so ex rangers, scared the crap out of them.

Billy sighed and stood up, looking over at Adam and Rocky. Although for the most part, both individuals looked fine, their skin still appeared slightly paler, and both had bags under their eyes. Although they were both hiding it pretty well, Billy could see a slight tremor in both of their hands. He frowned, and turned back to Tommy and Haley. "Do you guys have any bio scanners?" he asked them. "I'd like to have a look at those two," he added, pointing at his friends.

Tommy nodded. "Good idea. Ethan could you grab a pair and help him?"

"Sure thing, Dr. O," Ethan replied, moving towards a few shelves. He grabbed two hand held machines and brought one over to Billy who'd walked towards him. Sighing and reluctantly giving in, Rocky and Adam both walked towards the middle of the space to allow themselves to be scanned.

"So what happened?" Haley asked, looking up at Tommy who'd immediately had her bring up the specs from the battle. He was searching for something, but he hadn't told her what. Tommy sighed and shook his head, turning around to face everyone instead of the computer. He leaned back against the desk, and sighed again, running his hand over his face and back over his head. He couldn't find the words. Instead, he actually looked helplessly up at Connor.

The teenager nodded and stepped forward. "Mesagog sent us a message," he stated, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the tiny piece of pink fabric. Both Aisha and Tanya moved closer to him to see it, as he held it up between his fingers. "Dr. O, Adam, and Rocky are convinced it means Mesogog has Kimberly."

"What?" the two former yellow rangers stated at the same time. Billy almost dropped the scanner he was running around Rocky's body. He paused, and looked over at Connor and then to his two friends who each nodded once. Billy's face paled as well.

"We don't know for sure," Trent stated, although he was pretty sure the gut instinct of three of them could not be wrong. There was no other explanation for a piece of pink fabric. Kira bit her lip and shook her head, walking toward the other two of her color. She was pretty sure they were certain.

Haley ignored them, and looked at Tommy. Now she understood why he had seemed upset with her. He knew that Kimberly was in Reefside, and he knew that she knew. She'd have to deal with that later. Whether she liked what she knew of the woman or not, Tommy was her best friend. She'd do what she could to help. "You think it's true? It's not some kind of ploy?" Haley asked him.

"I don't know," he told her honestly. "I wish I had some way of knowing," he added, and Haley could see the terror in his face. She sighed and turned back around to the computer.

"Give me a bit," she stated. "I'll see what I can find. At this point, even if he's got her, he's not going to do anything to her. He just wanted you to know. There has to be a reason for that," she told him, trying to give him as much comfort as she could, before she began to work on the computer. Tommy gave her a slight smile of thanks. He still wasn't happy about what she'd done, but he knew Haley would never try to hurt him on purpose, and she would do everything in her power to help him get Kim back. They could talk about her not telling him later.

"Thanks," he told her, stepping away from the computer and walking toward Billy. Kira had managed to persuade Aisha and Tanya to sit down on the sofa. They cast looks back and forth from Billy, Adam, and Rocky, to Tommy, not sure who they should be more worried about. "How are they Billy?" he asked.

"We've just finished the scans," Billy replied, following Ethan over to another computer. Freed, Adam and Rocky joined Aisha, Tanya, and Kira on a sofa, each sitting on the armrest closest to their respective partner. Aisha reached up and latched onto Rocky's arm. "It'll take me a few moments to filter the data through the computer system."

Tommy nodded, and fell into his desk chair, watching the two blue rangers side by side. Memories ran through his mind as he watched them. Some of each of them separately, working to figure out a problem that faced their respective rangers, and some of them working together to fix all of their time issues. Despite the severity of the situation, watching them, remembering, actually relaxed him a bit.

Connor and Trent busied themselves playing with various things around the cave. They paced slightly, both trying to keep their nerves calm. They didn't know whose information they wanted more at that moment. Haley's or Billy and Ethan's. It was Billy who spoke first.

"They're ok," he stated simply, eyes scanning over the print out Ethan handed him. He looked up, seeing the two former female ranger's faces show signs of relief. He gave the two he'd been worried about a slight grin. "All their vitals are strong; it appears the zeo powers are still intact with the morphing grid. I can't detect even a hint of instability," he added.

"Why'd they both look ready to pass out afterwards?" Connor asked him. Tommy nodded. He wanted to know the same thing, both for them, and his own piece of mind, his thoughts going back to how he'd felt after the moon mission.

"And they were shaking," he added in. Adam and Rocky glared at him for a moment. He raised an eyebrow at them, and they looked away.

"Power overload. Their bodies weren't ready for it."

"But Dr. O didn't look exhausted after his first time with the dino gem," Kira stated.

Billy shook his head. "The old powers were searching their body chemistry for familiarity. They're much older than they were the last time they used the power. A new power wouldn't have caused the effect. It might happen again, each time they come out of morph for a while, but there's no risk of losing power while in battle. The side effects should decrease in time," Ethan told them, with a grin.

"In time?" Tommy asked. "When are we planning for it to happen again?"

"Face it Tommy," Billy replied. "There's no reason Adam and Rocky can't help. They're fully powered," he added.

"It'll put us up two rangers, Dr. O," Trent stated. "A team of seven can always do more than a team of five."

"Eight," Tanya spoke up, flicking both of her wrists, morphers appearing. Tommy looked over at her, surprise, and irritation evident in his expression. Rocky grinned at her, while Aisha looked surprised as well. Tanya looked at her friend sheepishly and shrugged, ignoring the look she was getting from Adam. It appeared he was struggling to process what she was suggesting.

"Hypocrite," Adam finally laughed. Tanya grinned back.

"I never would have used mine without knowing the power was safe," she protested, reaching for his hand and squeezing it. He laughed again, and shook his head.

"You ok with this?" Rocky asked Aisha. She gave him a weak smile and nodded.

"Pretty sure I don't have a choice," she stated. "And if Mesogog's really got Kim, I want you there to help get her back," she told him. "No offense guys," she added, looking at each of the four teenagers. She trusted them, and knew their capabilities, but her heart told her to trust her former teammates more.

"None taken," Kira told her with a smile. "We understand. We want them with us too," she added, smiling at Adam and Rocky. She didn't know much about Tanya's abilities, but if she'd been one of Tommy's teammates, Kira trusted her.

"Don't I get a say in this?" Tommy asked, from his desk. His face was set into a frown.

"No," All three former zeo rangers replied, and Connor stated. He was leader of dino thunder, and he wanted Adam, Rocky, and Tanya's help. Tommy rolled his eyes and sighed, before nodding, accepting that his friends were not going to sit this out, as much as he'd like them too.

"Tanya," Billy stated. "If you're going to do this, I'd like you to morph and then let me run a diagnostic test. Actually, it wouldn't hurt for all three of you to morph. I'm confident the power is stable, but I'd like to see how the morphing grid responds while the powers are active," he added, going over to one of the side computers.

"Sure Billy," Adam stated, an amused smile on his lips. As scared as he was about what was happening with Kim, Billy working in a command center of sorts was comforting. He looked over at Rocky and Tanya, and immediately, the three of them went through their morphing. Haley glanced over her shoulder to see the three unfamiliar suits for a moment, before going back to her work.

"Good," Billy stated, using the scanner on Adam again. Ethan ran his over Rocky, and Trent grabbed a third to go over Tanya. "Keep your helmets on for a bit. I want to get data in full morph."

"What's next?" Rocky laughed. "You going to have us simulate battle?"

"That's actually not a bad idea," Billy replied, with a grin. He heard Rocky groan, and knew that Tanya would be rolling her eyes, while Adam glared at his best friend.

"Billy," Tanya stated. "What about Tommy's zeo powers? Could Aisha use them? Nine rangers would be better than eight."

"No!" Billy, Adam, Rocky, Aisha, Tommy and Ethan all stated as one, urgently.

"It was just a thought," Tanya stated, glancing at them all nervously.

"We know," Adam stated, shaking his head. "Remember what I told you about those two weeks? The battle with the Sinister Satyr? Rocky and Aisha couldn't use their powers. They lent them to Kim and I. What we didn't tell you is what happened as a result."

"Why not?" Tanya asked him, and Adam knew from experience she was looking at him with a mixture of hurt and anger and confusion.

"We didn't want to worry you," Aisha told her friend gently. "The outcome wasn't good."

"Adam and Kimberly were overloaded with power which was a painful experience," Billy explained, "but since Aisha is powerless, that's not the real issue."

"Sharing powers that are active in one ranger caused a malfunction in the morphing grid," Ethan continued for him. "It started draining Rocky and Aisha's life force," he told her. Tanya turned her visored gaze from Ethan to Aisha and Rocky. Instinct told them the question in her eyes, even though they couldn't see them. They both met her gaze and nodded slowly. She then turned her gaze to Tommy.

"It could kill you?" she asked him, understanding. Tommy nodded, rubbing his hand over his face. Tanya reached up and removed her helmet, Billy's experiment be damned. Seeing her, Rocky and Adam both removed their own. "I never would have suggested," she started.

"I know," Tommy told her with a little laugh, cutting her off. "You had no way of knowing," he added. When she didn't look convinced, he sighed. "Tanya, I know you're all still irritated with me, but I know you don't wish me dead."

"At least not all the time," Rocky snickered. Tommy glared at him, but there was a bit of amusement in his face. He wouldn't admit it, but having Tanya, Adam, and Rocky with him made him a bit more confident in their ability to rescue Kim.

"You sure you believe me?" Tanya asked.

"Of course," Tommy replied, with a nod. He walked forward and hugged her. She hugged him back.

"So these are the zeo powers?" Connor asked, walking forward with the goal of ending the awkwardness, Kira followed him. Billy finished scanning the three and had taken all of the devices and was inputting data into the computer. Rocky nodded, as Connor approached, examining the suits for the first time up close. Kira, Ethan, and Trent followed. It was interesting getting to see one of the first powers up close and personal. Way more interesting that watching one of Tommy's videos on Ranger History.

"Don't power down you three," Billy replied. "I'm not finished yet."

"You had to give him the bright idea of simulated combat, didn't you?" Adam growled at Rocky who shrugged.

"How's it going Haley? Got anything?" Tommy asked, turning his attention away from his three friends.

"Not yet," she replied, but didn't look up from the computer. "But I won't stop until I do. There's got to be some trace or evidence out there," she promised him. Tommy sighed and nodded and turned to the teens.

"Guys," he stated, "There's really nothing you can do here. Why don't you four go home, get some school work done and rest. Once we do know something, we'll need to come up with a plan, and then I'm not sure you'll have time for rest."

"Are you sure you're ok?" Connor asked, raising an eyebrow at Tommy. The current black ranger sighed again, but nodded. He knew the teenagers were worried about him. Before the time travel, he might have been mad about it, but the bonds he'd formed with them when he was seventeen, prevented him from getting upset. He cared about them the same way he cared about Adam, Rocky, Aisha, Tanya, Billy, Kim, and a whole slew of others.

"I'm good," he stated. "I promise. No suicidal missions for me. We'll do this as a team."

"If you're sure," Kira told him, stepping away from the three partially morphed zeo rangers.

"I am," he told them. "Go."

"Keep us posted," Connor instructed, getting a sign of agreement in return. Satisfied, the four teenagers said their goodbyes and left the cave.

"I'm going to go check on the kids," Aisha stated, once they were gone. She walked over to Rocky and gave him a light kiss, before disappearing up the basement stairs to the main portion of Tommy's house. Tommy watched her disappear, before looking back at his friends.

"How do you three feel?" he asked them.

"Energized," Tanya laughed. "A bit hyperactive."

"That would be the power coursing through your veins again," Billy told her, still typing away at the computer and interpreting scans. "The zeo crystal is at full power. It must still be in the power chamber, protected."

"Well, that's good to know," Rocky stated. "So, the weak tired feelings will only come when we demorph?"

"Affirmative," Billy told him. "The power is seeking out your old physical bodies. You're older, so the power recognizes its holder, but your cells aren't as used to this power, so it causes a slight reaction. The more used to the power your body becomes, the less side effects should occur. Tommy, didn't you use your zeonizers for the mission on the moon two years ago?" Billy had turned to face them all for a moment.

"Yeah," he stated. "I felt like I'd been hit by a massive semi-truck afterwards. Wasn't entirely sure that I wasn't going to die," he confessed. Billy nodded, and turned back to the computers.

The five individuals who'd all held power at one time or another lapsed into silence, alongside Haley. All six were worried about the fact that Mesogog's message was true, and if it was, how they were going to get Kimberly back. Tommy wasn't sure what Mesogog even wanted, except the obvious destruction of the power rangers. After a few minutes of silence, punctuated only by the sounds of the two geniuses typing at the computers, Tommy couldn't take it anymore.

"Haley? Anything?" he asked, strain in his voice.

"No," she stated simply, not even turning to look at him. She wasn't happy that she was coming up empty.

"Tommy," Billy stated, turning around and walking back toward him and the other three. "Why don't you go upstairs and help Aisha with the kids," he suggested. "Unless of course, Zeo Ranger Five wants to help with battle simulation scans."

Tommy paled and shook his head. He had no desire to morph into a zeo ranger and help Billy with his experiment. He gave the three others sympathetic looks and then nodded to Billy, disappearing up the stairs.

"Traitor! You're supposed to be the leader!" Rocky called after him, amusement in his voice.

"Good thinking Billy," Haley told him. "He'd never have let me work uninterrupted." Billy just gave Haley a grin in response.

"Alright guys, back to action please," Billy stated.

"What action?" Tanya stated, rolling her eyes, but she and the other two knew Billy needed their helmets back on.

"You know what," Rocky stated, stopping just before he clipped his helmet on. "When normal people have a reunion, they go to someone's house, or a park. They have a barbeque, eat food, drink beer, tell embarrassing stories so they can relive the past," he stated, a bit of longing in his voice. "They don't actually relive the past!" he added. Adam, Tanya, and Billy laughed.

"Since when are we normal people, Rocko?" Adam asked him, amusement still in his voice.

"And obviously, you were expecting something like this," Billy added. "You all not only brought your zeonizers – you were wearing them."

"Would we really just want to sit around in Tommy's back yard and chat? You know that would be boring as hell," Tanya stated, shrugging her shoulders.

"You're right," Rocky stated, with a laugh. "Nothing says a reunion for us better than morphing, kicking butt, and having to rescue Kimberly. I wouldn't have it any other way." His three teammates all nodded, and laughed, the other two in morph copying him as they put their helmets back on.

"Is insanity a requirement for becoming a ranger? Because I'm pretty sure Tommy's not the only one with issues," Haley called to him.

"Nope," Billy told her. "He's definitely not," he added, with a grin back at his three friends. "Ok, here's what I want you to do," he stated, explaining exactly what he wanted from zeo rangers two through four.

* * *

I know you're all waiting for Tommy to blow up at Haley, but he kind of can't right now. Yes, however, he is still pissed off at her. But he does recognize that she was trying to protect him, and he knows he kind of needs her help right now. 

Also, there was a reason this fic is rated T. DT always felt a bit darker to me, so I took it a bit further, and let Elsa torture Kim a bit. Actual bloodshed and all. There will be some darker plot lines over the next few chapters, so if you don't like that, you might want to stop reading (although I hope you don't). Granted, nothing too insane. I won't be bumping the rating higher.

Fateless


	35. Chapter 35

I've got Chapters 36-37 written. I got half way through 38 last night, but determined I really didn't like the direction the story took. Too much angst. Not enough humor for my liking. So I'm currently reworking it, despite the fact that the angst will continue at the current moment (at least till they get Kim back).

For my guest reviewer who asked why Tommy didn't immediately start searching for Kim even though she came to Reefside. Here's the thing. The Kim who came to Reefside on Friday and the Kim who got kidnapped on Sunday have a fundamental difference. The Kim who came to Reefside didn't remember meeting Dr. Oliver, didn't remember the talk where he told her that it was her fault that he distanced himself from everyone in his life. She didn't remember hiding the letter. She didn't remember kissing Dr. Oliver. The Kim on Sunday knows all of those things, and Tommy knows that. When she didn't immediately contact him like everyone else, he figured that she actually now wanted nothing to do with him, and since he blames himself for that, he doesn't seek her out. Hope that clarifies things.

So, onward

* * *

After they'd kicked him out, Tommy had gone back outside to his jeep to grab Billy's bag and bring it in the house. He needed to be doing something to keep his mind off of the fact that thanks to him, Kimberly had been kidnapped. He hated himself at that moment, but at the same time, there was almost a bit of relief in his emotions. Maybe she didn't hate him after all. Maybe the reason he hadn't heard from her was that Mesogog had already kidnapped her when her memories came back the day before. Granted, his relief was short lived, as either way, it still meant that Mesogog had her to do who knew what with.

Tommy brought the bag inside and proceeded to his spare bedroom, where he found Aisha sitting on the end of the bed, humming a lullaby, as she brushed a stand of hair out of Katie's face. He paused in the doorway, setting the duffle bag down, and watched her, until she realized she wasn't alone. When their eyes met, Tommy could see the worry in hers.

"Should they continue to sleep?" he asked her, nodding to the two children on the bed. Aisha gave him a slight smile and nodded, standing up and walking towards him. He stepped back to let her leave the room.

"Luke still sleeps on and off all day. Katie missed her morning nap," she explained. She glanced over her shoulder at the two sleeping children, before walking out of the room completely. Tommy followed her back into the living room. "How are you holding up?" she asked him, as they fell into seats. Tommy back in his arm chair, Aisha on the couch.

"I could ask you the same thing," Tommy stated, avoiding answering her question. "He'll be alright, you know," he added.

"I know," Aisha stated, her eyes drifting back over to the door where Katie and Luke slept.

"You're mad at him still," Tommy stated. It wasn't a question, but Aisha nodded. "For morphing?"

"No," she said. "And yes. He realized something I didn't."

"What was that?"

"That Reefside was dangerous," she stated, matter of factly, looking up and meeting his eyes. She sighed and shook her head, trying to get her thoughts straight. "When our memories came back, all we could think about was finding you and the teenagers. I didn't think about the fact that Mesogog attacked you guys on a daily basis. Rocky did," she stated, and paused. Tommy didn't interrupt her. He knew she needed to say what was on her mind. Instead, he clasped his hands in front of him and inclined his head, not wanting to meet her eyes. "He brought his zeonizers. He decided he needed to be prepared. But that doesn't matter," she added. "If it was just us, we could handle it."

"But it's not just you," Tommy did interrupt. He knew what she was getting at. "You put Katie and Luke in danger for me."

"And you don't deserve that," she told him, anger in her voice. "I mean, they're innocent. Mesogog could have chosen them instead."

"He wouldn't have," Tommy assured her. Mesogog didn't know about their trip to the past. He was confident of that fact. They'd destroyed Chronosaurus in the past. Elsa thought they'd been dead. No one knew where they'd been. Therefore, there was no way Mesogog would have thought to attack Rocky and Aisha's family as Tommy had no connection with them anymore. But Mesogog knew about Tommy and therefore, knew Kim was his weakest link.

"You can't know that," she fired back. "Look," she stated, "I get why you pushed us all away," she added, with a sigh. "Having Luke and Katie to worry about lets me understand it. Hell, I worry every day that someone will target them because of my and Rocky's past. Rocky was the one who talked me into having them in the first place. And if it wasn't for them, I'd tell you that you were the biggest idiot in the entire world for removing us from your life."

"But you can't, because this has reminded you of how dangerous being a ranger really is. It's not all fun and games and monsters that spark when you hit them hard enough," he stated, nodding, his eyes downcast to the floor.

Aisha nodded. "I'm so confused," she told him simply. "Part of me wants to grab the kids, and Rocky, and run the hell back to Angel Grove and stay there. But the other part of me can't abandon Kim," she paused, "or you," she added, a few anxious tears hitting the floor.

"Aisha," Tommy stated, leaning forward and looking up at her. "I'm sorry," he stated. "For everything. For not staying in contact with all of you. For ignoring your and Rocky's invitations to your wedding. For missing Katie and Luke's births. For you feeling like you needed to rush out here and fix things. For causing you to be scared for the kids safety. For putting you in danger." She looked up at him, and Tommy sighed, moving over to sit beside her on the couch. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him. "Please believe me when I tell you that Mesogog will not lay a hand on either of those two children. I will kill him with my bare hands before I let that happen," he added. Despite her quiet crying, he felt Aisha nod against his chest.

"I feel so silly," she stated, after a few minutes of silence. "I was a power ranger," she stated.

"And now you're a mom," he told her, as she pushed back out of his hold. "I don't blame you for being scared for their safety. I understand why you're mad at me. This is my fault."

"Not completely," Aisha stated. "If we'd been in contact, we wouldn't have needed to rush out here. We could have waited to come see you after Mesogog was defeated."

"Why don't you go now?" Tommy told her, and Aisha glared at him. "It'd be safer."

"Kim's in danger," Aisha replied simply. "And you know there is no way in hell Rocky or I are going to leave now," she added, glaring at him. "You can be so stupid sometimes," she stated, although she was smirking at him. Tommy gave her a sheepish look and a nod.

"I'm beginning to realize that," he told her, a slight grin on his face. "We're ok?"

"We never stopped being ok you dumb ass," she laughed at him. "But if we're going to be in your life, it needs to be permanent. Rocky and I can handle rejection, but if you hurt my kids," she threatened. Tommy backed up, holding his hands up in surrender.

"No chance of that," Tommy told her, genuine fear of her in his eyes. "I swear on Zordon."

"You'd better," she laughed, leaning against him, he head on his shoulder. They both sat in comfortable silence for a few moments before it was interrupted by Haley's voice calling from the bottom of the stairs.

Both Tommy and Aisha moved from the couch to the basement as quick as they could. "You found something?" Tommy's question was more of an anxious statement. When they'd reached the lab, they found the three zeo rangers unmorphed, and everyone gathered around the main computer terminal. Billy and Haley each sat in one of the three chairs, while Tommy fell into the third. Aisha immediately went to Rocky's side, holding onto his arm.

"Yes," Haley stated. "Took a bit, but I finally matched the energy signature from the electricity bolt at the soccer fields this afternoon with a recent opening of an invisiportal outside Cyberspace."

"When?" Tommy asked, watching as Haley typed a few commands into the keyboard. A surveillance camera image opened that showed the sidewalk outside the cyber café. At first nothing happened, but then Tommy saw her. Kimberly, wearing a skin tight pink dress and white heals, looking angry enough to kill, walking towards Cyberspace. Just before she entered, an invisiportal opened, releasing tyrannodrones, Elsa, and Mesogog himself. The seven adults watched as the tyrannodrones easily incapacitated Kim. They couldn't hear the exchange, but could tell Kimberly wasn't giving in easily. Her face showed clear definiance, even as they carted her off back through the portal.

"Yesterday afternoon," Haley stated simply. She'd already watched the video before she'd called him down. Now she searched his face, waiting for his reaction to what she'd found. Adam, Rocky, Aisha, Tanya, and Billy, all looked sick. Tommy's expression was unreadable as he finally had proof that Mesogog's message was for real. The mutated monster had Kimberly. He'd had her for over twenty four hours. For a brief moment Haley thought she saw despair. But Tommy quickly replaced it with a calm mask over his emotions. "I'm sorry," she told him.

"You should be," he replied simply. He didn't turn to look at her. If Haley'd told him that Kimberly was in Reefside, she wouldn't have been alone. He'd have been with her, and then Mesogog wouldn't have been able to kidnap her.

"Tommy," Billy stated. "Don't blame Haley."

"I don't, not really," he stated shaking his head. "I blame myself. It's my fault you all are here right now. My fault that Haley thinks I'd be better off without Kim. My fault Kim's here in the first place, alone. And my fault that she'd been kidnapped."

"I'll agree with you on a few of those," Adam told him. "But the only thing at fault for Kimberly's kidnapping is Mesogog. And you know it," he stated. He was angry. Not at Tommy, but at that creature. The only good thing was that he could morph and wouldn't have to sit on the sidelines when they did rescue her.

Tommy sighed and nodded, listening to Adam's words and actually taking them to heart. He turned to Haley. "I didn't mean what I said," he told her. "But when this is over, we're going to have to talk about you thinking you always need to protect me; It's partially my fault, too," he added, sternly. Haley's expression didn't change, but she did nod once.

"So now that we do know Mesogog has Kim," Tanya spoke up, "what do we do?"

"We can't do anything until we know where she's being held, and what Mesogog wants," Billy stated. Now that they were discussing things, he felt a bit more like his old self. He could keep his cool in a time of crisis. Once a ranger, always a ranger. The color had begun to return to all of their faces. "For now, we can only rest. I doubt we'll be successful if anyone is exhausted," he added in.

"Billy's right," Tommy stated. "I'll contact the kids and let them know that Mesogog really has Kimberly. Then all we do is wait."

"I'll go order in pizza for everyone," Haley stated, and Tommy gave her a small smile of appreciation. Adam was right; the only one at fault for this was Mesogog. He couldn't blame Haley. He'd been the one to tell Haley about the letter. He'd been the one to tell her everything about his past. He couldn't put all the blame for her not telling him about Kimberly on her. It was partially his own fault. He watched her go for a moment, before bringing his communicator to his wrist, and pressing a button.

"Connor here," Connor replied, almost instantly, as if he'd been waiting for his communicator to go off.

"You're all there, I take it," Tommy stated, knowing the four teenagers well enough. Silence was the acknowledgement he needed. "Right then. Mesogog took Kimberly from outside Cyberspace yesterday."

"So he definitely has her?" Ethan's voice came though.

"What are we going to do about it?" Kira asked.

"Nothing right now," Tommy told them, but continued before they could protest. "We don't know what he wants yet. But he'll tell us soon. She'll be ok until then."

"You'll keep us informed?" Trent asked.

"Yes," Tommy stated. "I think it's going to take all of us to get her back. Try and get some rest."

"We will," Connor stated. "You too," he commanded. Tommy smirked slightly, and nodded, knowing the teenager couldn't see him.

"I promise I'll try," he added, cutting the communication. He looked up at his friends, meeting each of their gazes. "I don't even know what to say," he started.

"There's nothing to say," Rocky told him. "We're here and we're going to get her back."

"Thanks," Tommy replied, and all five of them nodded, before they walked out the same exit as Haley to go eat something. Until Mesogog told Tommy what he wanted, there was nothing they could do about the situation.

* * *

Tanya walked out of the bathroom of the hotel room she and Adam had checked into, only to find her fiancé sitting in the arm chair, looking out the window. It was late. Not at late as it had been the previous night, but late enough that she'd expected to find him in bed. Sighing, she walked around the room's king sized bed, and over to him, laying her hand on his shoulder and pulling him out of his thoughts. Adam gave her a hesitant, welcoming smile, as he opened his arms, inviting her to him. She wrapped her arms over his shoulders, and sat down on his lap. Adam pulled her in closer.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked him, and Adam shrugged in response.

"Nothing, and everything," he told her, shaking his head. "I know, it doesn't make any sense."

"Of course it does," she replied.

"You've been great through all this, you know that," he told her, kissing her forehead. "From Saturday night till now. You have flinched once."

"Adam," she laughed, "it's not like I'm a stranger to crazy," she told him. "Once a ranger, always a ranger."

"I didn't think it was going to be literal," he told her, but Tanya shook her head.

"Yes you did," she added. "Maybe not because Kim was kidnapped," she told him. "But you and I know well and good that the three of us brought our zeonizers along because we knew they'd be needed."

"I'd hoped they wouldn't," he replied simply. "But I suppose you're right. It did feel kind of good to fight alongside them again," Adam told her. "Strange as it sounds, it was like reliving my past."

"When they time traveled, it became part of your past," Tanya told him, snuggling closer. "It makes sense that you now feel like you missed fighting with them."

"It was only a few times," he laughed, "and the last time, I wasn't exactly myself."

"No," Tanya giggled, agreeing with him. "You were Kira," she chuckled. Adam couldn't help himself. Despite the blush that crept onto his cheeks, he laughed as well. "Sweety," she told him, "yellow is not your color."

"Maybe I should try pink next time," he replied. Around Tanya, he could laugh at himself. Around her, he was no longer self conscious. She knew everything about him, and it just made being with her easy. She was right, he'd waited forever to ask her out. They should have already been married. Maybe even a little one or two like Rocky and Aisha.

"Very few people can pull off pink. I doubt you're one of them," she told him, with another giggle. Adam smirked down at her, but tightened his grip on her in a hug. "Did you get to talk to Tommy last night?" she asked him. Adam nodded. "And?" she asked.

"He admitted to being an idiot," he stated. "We both apologized."

"You forgive him?"

"Yeah," he stated. "I understand him a little. It's in the past. That's where it should stay. You'll forgive him too?"

"I never really felt I had to," she stated. "He did what he thought was right. Stupid as it was, I always understood him. I'm just happy you're going to let him back in."

"You were worried I wouldn't?" Adam asked her, a bit of surprise in his voice. Tanya nodded against his chest, her head tucked under his chin. "I suppose that was a legitimate concern," he stated after a moment of thought. "But you're right. His reasons are understandable. Especially since he was kind of right. Mesogog is using Kim against him."

"But Mesogog might not know about us. If he saw the ending of your little battle this afternoon, he probably thinks the powers you and Rocky used took you out," she replied. "He might know we're here, but I doubt he's going to be expecting eight fully powered rangers."

"True," Adam stated, letting a smile cross his lips. "And that might be exactly what we need to take advantage of to get Kim back. Come on," he told her, unwrapping his arms. "We'd better get to bed. Who knows what this reunion will have in store for us tomorrow."

* * *

Connor, Kira, Ethan, and Trent were antsy the entire next day at school. They couldn't focus on their classes, always waiting for their communicator to go off and for Tommy or Haley to tell them something. That morning, right before homeroom, Tommy had assured them he would contact them immediately if anything happened. They knew the older rangers were spending the day at Tommy's house with Billy. There was no safer place for them to be. Unfortunately, their communicators didn't sound all day. So either their science teacher was hiding something, or Mesogog hadn't tried anything yet. They didn't know which option they hated the idea of more. That Tommy would hide something, or that Mesogog was biding his time.

Connor met up with his three teenage teammates in the hallway outside of their science classroom, as they regrouped for their final class of the day. "Hey," he said simply, as the four fell into step beside one another. "How are you all holding up?"

"I wish he'd just attack already," Kira complained. "Just get it over with so we can figure out what's going on."

"I know what you mean," Ethan replied, and Trent nodded. They hated the sitting around and waiting game. They felt helpless. Trent led the way into the classroom, and immediately, all four pairs of eyes landed on Tommy at his desk at the front of the room. The man was studying his cell phone, but he looked up when he felt their gaze. He met their eyes and shook his head no.

Connor scowled, and Kira gave him a slight comforting look, as the four teenagers proceeded to their seats, trying not to draw attention to the fact that they had lingered near their teacher. Just like every one of their other classes, the four teenager rangers barely paid attention. Tommy began a lecture on the evidence that dinosaurs were more closely related to birds than they were to reptiles. Ethan did his best to take notes, but they were nowhere near as detailed as they normally were. Kira spun her pencil on her notebook, casting her eyes up to the clock every so often. Trent was doodling on the edge of his notebook. Connor just stared into space, his eyes looking past Tommy as he lectured.

Granted, the four teenagers weren't the only ones distracted. Tommy found himself needing his notes more often than he usually did. His other classes had been hard to get through, considering his cell phone and communicator had remained silent all day, but now that the teenagers were in his class, and he couldn't focus at all. He felt his own anxiety and worry reflected back at him as he watched them.

The last hour of the day crawled by slower than normal for all five rangers, but finally the shrill sound of the school bell reverberated around the room. The sound was enough to snap him out of his stupor slightly. "Don't forget to read chapter 30 and answer all of the discussion questions by Friday," he told the class, although they probably didn't hear him. He turned his back on the class and went to his desk, beginning to pack up his own belongings. It didn't surprise him that the dino thunder teenagers were the last ones left in the classroom. "Stop looking at me like that," he told them, "you've been with me for the last hour. I know nothing more than you do," he added, with a bit of amusement in his voice. It would have been a lot funnier if he wasn't so scared.

"Sorry," Connor stated, running his hand through his hair. "So what now?" he asked, his expression stating he was unsure.

"I'm going back to the house. I want to check on everyone."

"We'll come," Kira stated, her three teenage teammates nodding. Tommy shook his head.

"Connor," he stated, "don't you have soccer practice? And I know Trent has work this afternoon." Both boys looked at him as if he was crazy to suggest they had other obligations. "Listen, if something happens, I swear, I'll call you, but for right now," he trailed off.

"Dr. O is right," Ethan stated, looking back and forth between Trent and Connor. "We can't just put our lives on hold. Haley, Billy, and the others are doing what they can, but we can't really do anything until Mesogog chooses to tell us more."

"I guess," Trent stated, hesitantly. He looked at Kira who nodded.

"You should go to work," Kira told him. "I'm sure Haley will let you off if the situation changes," she added. "And you're going to practice," she rounded on Connor.

"But," he started to protest. Kira shook her head at him, and Connor sighed. "Fine," he added, reluctantly. His friends laughed at him nervously. They'd never seen Connor look so dejected over the idea of playing soccer.

"What about you two?" Tommy asked Ethan and Kira. Both teenagers shrugged.

"We'll keep ourselves busy," Kira stated, indicating that she knew he wanted some more alone time with his old team. "Go on," she told him. "They'll make fun of you if you're late again," she added in, as the five members of the current ranger team left together. Tommy glared at her, but nodded. They walked with one another as far as the parking lots and then split up. Connor took off towards the soccer field, waving goodbye to his friends, while Trent made off to the student parking lot, and Tommy headed towards the faculty lot where his jeep was parked.

"Now what?" Ethan asked Kira, as the two began walking in no particular direction. "Cyberspace?" he asked her. Kira shook her head.

"If we were gonna do that, we could have grabbed a ride with Trent," she laughed, pushing her book bag higher on her shoulder. "Besides, if I go there, I'll fall further behind on my homework."

"You two have been spending a lot of time together," Ethan agreed. Kira shrugged, but smiled. "Reminds me of how Tommy, er Dr. O was with Kim back in ninety five," he laughed. "I'm surprised he hasn't gone nuts yet over this," Ethan added in, as they walked.

"I think the others being here is what is keeping him calm," Kira stated. "Well, relatively," she added.

"He's not exactly been Mr. Smooth since they got here, has he?" Ethan laughed. Kira shook her head. The two fell into a discussion over how their science teacher had been acting since his memories came back Sunday morning. He'd been a bit sulky, and definitely blushed a lot more. But they weren't exactly sure it was just because of the embarrassing things that had been said. The more they thought about it, the more they thought it had to do with how he remembered them. By this point, they'd reached the park by that point, and found a picnic table to sit at, pulling out their school books and had started working on their homework. "You know," Kira stated, "he had two weeks to get to know us as a teenager too. I don't think he can separate his two different relationships with us anymore," Kira laughed.

"You think?" Ethan asked. Kira nodded.

"I think Dr. O sees us as friends more than just his teenage students," she stated. "I don't think he knows how to handle that."

"I don't know how to handle being friends with Connor," Ethan snorted.

"Give Connor a break," Kira laughed. "He's a good leader. He cares about us."

"You think he'd ever loose contact with us like Dr. O did?" Ethan stated, nodding in agreement with her last statement. Kira shook her head.

"No," she stated. "Connor cares, and I know he wants to protect us," she stated, "but I don't think he'd take it to the extremes that Dr. O has. Especially now that he's seen what it did to Dr. O's old team."

"He's happy they're here though," Ethan stated. "Despite Mesogog grabbing Kim."

"Definitely," Kira stated. "I am too. It's a little weird. Last time we were all together, Dr. O was the odd man out. Now, I feel like we're little kids intruding on something."

"Only sometimes," Ethan stated. "They're all grown up, but they're still mostly the same. But I know what you mean," he told her.

"You think Kim will have changed much? You know when we get her back?" Kira asked him, putting her pencil down and looking up from the discussion questions for Tommy's class that she'd begun to work on.

"You won't be getting her back." Kira and Ethan both jumped, not having noticed that they weren't alone anymore. They both leapt up from the table, and fell into defensive poses, taking in the cyborg in front of them. "Unless of course, Mesogog decides to give her back."

"What do you want Zeltrax?" Ethan growled. The general was alone. No tyrannodrones, no triptoids. Just Zeltrax.

"What else would I want," Zeltrax replied, charging toward the two rangers. Kira and Ethan rolled out of the way, scrambling to their feet. Both rangers looked around, quickly, realizing that the rest of the people in the park had fled.

"Gotta morph," Kira called over her shoulder. Zeltrax was now in between them, having separated them from one another. Ethan nodded, and together they flicked their wrists, bringing them to their chests and shouting "Dino Thunder! Power Up!" The moment they were morphed, they charged toward Zeltrax.

Mesogog's general stopped both of their attacks, catching both rangers at their shoulders. He gripped them both for a second, and then tossed them both away as if they were rag dolls, laughing at them. "Did you really think it would be that easy?" he asked them.

"We're going to need back up," Ethan told Kira who nodded, and went to bring her wrist to her mouth to contact Trent, Connor, and Tommy. Zeltrax fired a blast at her, forcing Kira to postpone her action in order to avoid being hit. As it was, the blast still struck her in the side, throwing her forward.

"Not today yellow ranger," he told her. "I've got a message for you to deliver to your teammates," Zeltrax stated, as Ethan ran to Kira's aide, helping her to stand. "At sunrise tomorrow, you'll meet us at the beach and give us your dino gems. All five of them."

"Why would we do that?" Ethan growled at him, supporting Kira.

"Mesogog's offering a trade. The dino gems for the former ranger," he laughed. "Sunrise, tomorrow, beach," Zeltrax stated, before an invisiportal opened and he leapt into it.

"He's gone," Ethan stated, his face showing surprise. "I really wish Mesogog's people would stop freaking retreating."

"We've got to tell Dr. O," Kira informed him.

"Right," Ethan stated, as both rangers demorphed and grabbed their books, shoving them into their book bags, before sprinting out of the park.

* * *

So this is probably the last update for the weekend. Like I said, I'm reworking chapter 38 because I really wasn't happy with how it was developing. Probably have another chapter for you around Wednesday. Hope you enjoyed.

Fateless


	36. Chapter 36

"Wake up Kimmy," a cold, cruel, female voice spoke to her, even though she barely processed it. Every part of her body screamed in pain, and she felt like she was in a fog. She let a small groan escape, despite herself, as she blinked her eyes open slowly. Her vision was blurry and for a while, all she should make out was the reddish brown color of the cave surrounding her. She slowly struggled, pushing herself to a sitting position. The pain in her body intensified for a few moments as her muscles protested the change in position. She had a metallic taste in her mouth, and she spit out onto the floor, adding a bit of blood spatter. She wiped her mouth on her arm, as her vision started to clear, and she glared in Elsa's direction.

"What do you want?" she growled as they made eye contact.

"Just thought I'd tell you your friends are going to be on their way to rescue you soon," Elsa laughed. "Not that they'll succeed," she added. Kimberly narrowed her gaze.

"You're lying," Kim told her, anger in her voice. She hoped she was right. But Elsa just laughed at her. The sound filled her with dread.

"You keep telling yourself that, if it makes you feel better, Kimmy," Elsa laughed. "Still, I wish you'd screamed. I would have liked to see his face when he heard it. He did go all pale when he discovered the piece of your dress we sent him."

Kim did her best to keep her emotions from being displayed on her face. "You think a piece of pink fabric is enough to convince them?" she replied, with a slight bit of a laugh in her voice. It was fake, of course. She knew immediately that Tommy and the others would take the piece of her dress at full value. However, she held out hope that maybe Billy was here, and would persuade Tommy not to rush into anything until they had proof. Kim didn't plan to allow Mesogog or Elsa to get any other proof, if she could help it.

"Maybe not at first," Elsa laughed. "But we've got two of them delivering our next message. They'll trade their dino gems to get you back, or so they'll think."

"Even if they do think you have me, they'll never agree to that," Kimberly spat back at her. Elsa laughed.

"You really are a good actress," the general replied. "Of course they'll agree. And you know it," she stated. "Just think, this by tomorrow morning, they'll be gone, and it'll be all your fault," Elsa added with a grin.

Kimberly inhaled sharply, doing her best not to react. That's all Elsa wanted from her: a reaction. She wanted Kim to scream or cry. Well, Kimberly wasn't going to give her that satisfaction. Instead, she just continued to glare at her. Elsa grinned, her sadistic smile reaching her eyes. She truly took pleasure in this.

"What's wrong Kimmy? Afraid you'll never see him again?" she laughed. "How about I promise to let you see him one last time before we destroy you both?"

Kimberly didn't answer, but deepened her glare. At that point, she was wishing she had access to some type of power; anything that would free her from the cell, or at least just shut the black clad woman up. If what Elsa said was true, and unfortunately her gut told her it was, Kim needed to figure out a way to save herself, before Tommy decided to be her white knight once again, and got himself and the teenagers into hot water.

"Elsa!" Mesogog's voice interrupted the glaring contest the two women were having across the bars of Kimberly's cell. "I do hope you're ensuring our guest is comfortable," he hissed, walking into Kimberly's view. She shifted her glare from Elsa to Mesogog. Elsa may have been her tormenter, but she knew Mesogog was the one running the show. The mutant met her gaze with one of his own.

"Of course, sir," Elsa replied. "Just letting her know about the plan for tomorrow," she laughed.

"Excellent," he growled. "Now," he continued, taking his gaze off Kimberly and placing it on Elsa. "You'll need to arrange the detonation sequence. I need you both to be at the beach tomorrow."

"Yes sir," Elsa stated, with a nod and a slight bow. Mesogog nodded, and turned, stalking away from the two of them. Elsa turned on Kim again. "Tick tock Kimmy," she stated with a smirk. "Sleep well," she added before turning and stalking away. Kimberly watched her go for a few moments, before she curled her hand into a fist and struck the nearest wall.

* * *

"You're sure?" Tommy asked them for what had to be the twentieth time. Kira rolled her eyes, and Ethan threw his hands up in the air. Of course they were sure. "But that doesn't make any sense," he stated. "As long as the gems are bonded to us, they're useless to Mesogog," he stated.

"We know that," Kira growled at him. The two teenagers had run towards the woods from the park and summoned their raptor cycles as soon as they possibly could. It hadn't taken them long after that to reach the underground entrance to the cave. Once there, they'd found Haley and Billy searching through countless streams of data. Haley had immediately contacted Tommy upstairs, and he, Adam, Rocky, Aisha, and Tanya had entered the lab only a moment later.

"We didn't say it made sense," Ethan agreed. "Just that Zeltrax said Mesogog offered a trade. Our dino gems for Kim at sunrise on the beach tomorrow."

Tommy ran his hand over the back of his head and exhaled. They'd been waiting all day to find out what to do next, and now that they had something, Tommy still felt lost. He didn't understand what Mesogog would do with the gems. In order to harness their power himself, he'd need to destroy the rangers. Mesogog was counting on the fact that Tommy would do absolutely anything for Kimberly. And the week before, he probably would have sacrificed the dino gems to do so. What Mesogog hadn't factored in was his new loyalty and bond with the rest of his team. It made him more determined than ever to protect them, as well as get Kimberly back.

"So what now?" Tanya asked them. The teenagers shrugged their shoulders.

"You're not thinking about handing the gems over are you Dr. O?" Ethan asked.

"No," Tommy stated, shaking his head. "Even if I was," he added. "It's really not my call. You each control your own gem, and Connor's the leader. Speaking of which," he stated, doing his best to remain calm. "Did either of you contact him and Trent?"

Ethan and Kira both shook their heads no. "We figured we needed to get here as fast as possible," Kira explained and Tommy nodded. "Soccer practice should be over now," she added.

Tommy lifted his wrist to his mouth and pressed the controls. "Connor, Trent, come in."

"Here Dr. O," Connor's voice broke through.

"Did something happen?" Trent added in.

"Kira and Ethan were attacked in the park by Zeltrax," Tommy replied. "They're alright," he added before either the teenager could interrupt him. "But they brought news. Connor, you should come to command now. Trent, how much longer do you have on your shift?"

"Two hours," he and Haley both replied at the same time.

"Ok," Tommy replied to Trent, though he nodded to Haley. "Stay there for now. It's not imperative for you to be here," he added in. "Don't argue either," he instructed, knowing that's exactly what the teenager was about to do. "We'll catch you up when you get here."

"OK," Trent stated, although they could hear the reluctance in his voice.

"I'll be there in a few minutes," Connor replied.

"Use a car," Tommy warned him, before ending the connection. He looked up and around the large room, meeting the eyes of everyone present. At that moment, he knew he should feel confused and helpless, but he didn't. Instead, he actually felt calm. They didn't even have a plan, but he knew that when the time came, he'd have seven rangers beside him, and three people back at the base all whom he trusted with both his and Kimberly's lives. Those thoughts kept him centered. He took a deep breath and focused on Haley and Billy.

"Can you guys come up with any idea as to why Mesogog would be willing to offer a trade for the dino gems?"

"We'll work on it," Haley confirmed, and Billy nodded. They turned back to the computers and began discussing and searching for any possibilities. Tommy watched them.

"Do you really think Mesogog will trade?" Adam's voice pulled Tommy's attention back off the two techs. Tommy met his gaze squarely and shook his head.

"No," he stated simply. "But I think Mesogog is counting on me believing he will," he stated, calm in his voice.

"Ok," Ethan stated, frowning. He stepped closer to Tommy and looked at him. "Who are you and what have you done with my teacher?" When it came to Kimberly, over the last few days, Tommy had been flipping out. Ethan and Kira hadn't expected a rational reaction from him when they brought Zeltrax's message.

"Yeah," Kira added in. "We just finished telling you that Mesogog wants to trade Kimberly for our dino gems, and you don't even think the monster will go through with it, yet, you're calm, cool, and collected. Where has this version of you been for the last few days?"

Tommy sighed and let a small smirk grace his face. "I got my friends back," he said simply, looking at Adam, Rocky, Tanya, and Aisha. "Mesogog has no idea what he's messing with."

"He'll freak out later," Rocky told the teenagers, grinning, "when he's all alone."

"What you're seeing is 'Leader Tommy'," Tanya added.

"What's a leader Tommy?" Connor's voice asked, as he came into the cave from the same entrance Kira and Ethan had used. "What's going on?"

"I thought I told you to use your car?" Tommy asked the teenager, glaring at him slightly. Connor smirked and shook his head.

"Mesogog sent an offer," Aisha told the teenager. "Your dino gems for Kim."

"We've got to do it," Connor stated, his mouth hanging open slightly. His eyes darted from Kira, to Ethan, and then to Tommy. "It's a no brainer. Kim's worth more."

"Connor," Ethan stated. "Dr. O doesn't really think Mesogog will uphold his end of the bargain. I have to agree." Connor frowned at him and then turned to Tommy, who nodded.

"Um… ok then. So what do we do?"

"Haven't gotten that far yet," Tommy told him. "If you'd driven like a normal person, maybe we'd have a plan for you," he added, with a smirk.

"Power ranger! We defy the definition of normal, remember?" Connor asked.

"Amen to that," Rocky stated, suppressing a laugh. Although the situation was definitely dire, all of the rangers, former and current found felt the same type of relief being around one another.

"Well," Adam stated, "You clearly can't give him the dino gems, especially not if Mesogog won't uphold his end of the bargain. We've got to think of something else before sunrise."

"Sunrise?" Connor asked.

"Deadline," Kira told him. "Not sure what'll happen after that, but we're supposed to meet Mesogog at the beach tomorrow morning."

"This just keeps getting better and better. Please tell me you at least know why Mesogog wants the gems? I mean besides the obvious." Connor stated. The blank looks he received from Ethan and Kira told him the answer to that question. He groaned and fell onto the sofa dramatically. "Great. Just great."

Everyone in the room fell silent for a while, as they all contemplated what to do next. The only sounds were their breathing, and the sound of the keyboards and computers where Billy and Haley worked away. Aisha and Tanya joined Connor on a sofa, while Kira and Ethan leaned against the walls. Rocky and Adam paced slightly, and Tommy sat down at his desk, paper weight in his hand once again. For a while they were all lost in thought.

"What about a fake out?" Adam suddenly asked, and everyone turned to look at him, questions reflected in their faces.

"What do you mean?" Ethan asked. Tommy, Rocky, and Aisha, all seemed to have some idea of what Adam was getting at, but Kira, Connor, and Tanya looked confused.

"Like with the Bookala?" Billy called over his shoulder. He barely paused in the work he was doing with Haley.

"Exactly," Adam stated. "We give Mesogog fake dino gems. It might distract him long enough for us to mount a rescue attempt."

"That sounds really risky," Kira stated. "Won't Mesogog know they're fake?"

"Not if we create them so that they give off a similar energy signal," Ethan replied.

"Haley?" Tommy called out, turning his attention from his two teammates to their tech. "Is that possible? By tomorrow morning?"

"A few days ago, I would have said I didn't think I could do it," she replied, "but between me, Ethan, and Billy," she added, "I believe it is."

"So we'll try it?" Connor asked.

"It'll be complicated though," Tommy stated with a nod. He'd started to devise a plan the moment Adam had brought up their interaction with the Bookala. The fake space craft and diamond had been enough to distract Zedd during his lust for power. Mesogog was just as power hungry. "But it'll be dangerous. We won't be able to bring our real gems with us," Tommy stated.

"No gems, no morph," Kira caught on to his line of thought. She nodded, a biting her lips together in both thought and worry. "So how do we mount the rescue?"

"You don't," Rocky told her, meeting eyes with Tommy and realizing what he was suggesting. He nodded and looked at Adam and Tanya. "You're the distraction. Adam, Tanya, and I will have to rescue Kim."

"You ok with that?" Tommy asked Rocky.

"You can count on us Tommy," Adam replied while Rocky and Tanya both nodded.

"One question though," Aisha brought up, "we don't know where Kim is. How can we send them in to rescue her, if we can't find her?"

"I've been thinking about that," Billy stated, turning in his chair, "and I think I can adapt one of the bio scanners to search for a particular ranger energy. We all still have it, though it's gotten fainter now for those of us who haven't or can't use it. Kim may have enough left that the scanner could pick up on. But I'll need something of hers or that is really connected to her from a time when the signature would have been stronger, to use to calibrate the scanner," he finished, looking directly at Tommy.

Tommy sighed and shook his head, running his hand over his face as he thought. In order to find Kim, they needed something that she was connected to. He was probably their best bet for having something, and yet he was coming up at a loss. After a moment, his face dropped. "Billy, does it have to be from when she was an active ranger?" he asked.

"That would be preferable," Billy stated, "but if that's not possible, the closer to the time when she'd just given up her powers the better," he added. Tommy nodded and stood up, moving towards a file cabinet behind his desk. All his friends, watched him frowning. A moment later, Tommy pulled out an envelope and shut the cabinet. He walked the distance between himself and Billy.

"Will this work?" he stated, not looking at the envelope but meeting Billy's gaze. Billy, Rocky, and Adam all looked stunned. Tanya and Aisha were frowning. Haley was glaring at him. And the teenagers looked confused.

"You kept that," Adam whispered as Billy took the letter from Tommy. Tommy nodded, hearing the question in Adam's voice.

"It will," Billy stated with a nod. He studied the envelope for a moment, recognizing Kimberly's handwriting. He then sighed and walked over to one of the bio scanners they'd been working with on the zeo rangers the day before. "It'll take a bit," he added, "but I think I can use it to locate her."

"Good," Tommy stated back. His voice sounded like the air had been knocked out of his lungs. The teenagers didn't quite understand the change in the atmosphere in the room.

"Why on earth do you still have that?" Rocky asked him. Tommy shrugged.

"What is it?" Connor asked, confusion on his face. Tommy looked up at the teenagers, and shook his head. They could see signs of depression and hurt in his face. It only made them more confused.

"Tommy?" Tanya asked, watching him study his feet again.

"You can tell them," he stated. "I don't really want to talk about it," he stated. He'd moved on from it a long time ago. He shouldn't have been so upset about pulling it out again, and under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have been. He would have argued that they'd both moved on. It was just a piece of paper with words on it. He'd been happy again since its arrival. But he'd also just spent two weeks with a version of the author who had loved him, and he'd realized, in his heart, he still cared about her more than any individuals who didn't have contact with one another had the right to care about each other. And now she'd been kidnapped by Mesogog who was doing who knows what to her. It was becoming a little more than he could bare. Tommy knew that if Billy and the others hadn't been there, when they'd found out the Mesogog had her, he would have crumpled into the fetal position and probably would have ceased functionality.

"It's the letter Kim wrote when she broke up with Tommy," Adam told the teenagers, trying to make it sound as gentle as possible. He still remembered his own involvement that day, and hated that he was the one who'd conveyed the news to Tommy.

"She broke up with him in a letter?" Kira asked, frowning. "That doesn't sound like Kim," she stated. Rocky, Adam, and Billy all nodded, agreeing with her.

"But it was," Haley said harshly. She turned her back on the group and went back to the computer. She could feel the glares she was getting from some of Tommy's old teammates, but she really didn't care about that at the moment. "I've finished working on compiling copies of the energy signals of the five gems. We need to start working on the physical copies if we're going to have this ready in time," she added in. Ethan, Kira, and Connor watched her for a moment, wide eyed, before turning to Tommy.

"Right," he stated, as if Haley's words were what he needed to knock him out of the funk remembering the break up letter had placed him in. He pulled his gem out of its holder on his bracelet. "We need to give our gems to Haley guys. We'll get her Trent's when he gets here later," he added in. The teenagers nodded and copied Tommy. "We'll go upstairs and hash out the details of the plan so we don't distract them. Ethan," he added, "why don't you stay and help Haley." The dark skinned teenager nodded, still processing everything that had just happened.

"I'll stay and help Billy," Adam stated simply. Tommy nodded to him, and the led the rest of the group upstairs. After all, Adam helping Billy was nothing new.

Most of the group wandered into the living room, which gave them the most space to talk things out. Aisha disappeared towards the spare room, and returned a moment later, holding a yawning and fussing Luke in one arm, while Katie's hand was held in Aisha's free one. The little girl was pouting and rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"Can't let them sleep all day," she stated, with a bit of a smile on her face, as she directed Katie to Rocky, and then went into the kitchen to fix Luke a bottle.

"How'd you sleep monkey?" Rocky asked Katie, pulling the little girl into the circle of his arms. Katie yawned in response, slipped her thumb into her mouth, and snuggled into her father, her eyes closing a bit. Rocky immediately pulled her thumb away. He and Aisha were trying to break her of that habit. "Oh no you don't sleepy head. You won't get any rest tonight," he added, knowing he wouldn't really either, considering they had to wait until sunrise. He picked Katie up and held her over his head, causing the little girl to giggle, before he swept her down and placed her on his lap. Katie leaned against his shoulder, her eyes showing she was definitely more awake.

"Oh good," Aisha stated, walking back into the living room and sitting beside her husband on the sofa. "You got her up," she added, placing the nipple of the bottle into Luke's mouth. Rocky nodded in response. "So what's the plan?"

"Are you sure you guys want to do this?" Tommy asked, looking at Rocky and Tanya pointedly. Both nodded.

"It's not even a question. We'll be fine while in morph. Maybe a bit tired afterwards, according to Billy," Rocky replied. "But there's no risk of using the powers, beyond the obvious."

"That's not the point," Tommy stated. "I can't guarantee your safety, and you know that."

"Of course we do," Tanya told him. "But Kim is one of us. We're not just going to leave her there, and you five will have your hands full."

"Dr. O," Connor stated. "They're right. I don't know if Mesogog will come for the gems himself, but it's a sure bet both Elsa and Zeltrax will be there. And if they're not really planning to hand over Kimberly, then it's going to be a trap. We're going to have to fight."

"Without our powers," Kira added in. She rubbed her bracelet, feeling naked without the dino gem in it, even though she knew it was just down stairs with Haley and Ethan.

"Right," Connor stated. "If any of the five of us aren't there, they'll know somethings up. Rocky, Adam, and Tanya are the only ones who can go after Kim."

Tommy sighed and nodded, accepting what was being said. "Ok, then, we'll just have to keep them busy for as long as possible."

"Once we find Kim," Aisha asked, "how will they get to her?"

"Mesogog is probably keeping her on his island fortress," Tommy stated. "Only way in and out is an invisiportal, which Haley can open."

"Yeah, but they'll need to get up to speed to get there," Kira reminded him. "Haley said at least five hundred and thirty six miles per hour or um… total destruction," she added.

"Wait what?" Rocky stated, blinking. "We're gonna need to do what? Or else what happens?"

"Raptor cycles?" Connor asked Kira and Tommy, ignoring the former red, and apparently now current zeo blue ranger.

"Raptor cycles," Connor's teammates replied.

"Wait," Aisha stated, a slight smile on her lips. "Those are the bikes you were telling me about by the lake that night," she added, her face lighting up at the memory. "Your last night in Angel Grove."

"Yeah," Connor told her with a smile and a nod. "The zeo rangers are going to need to use them to get through the invisiportal to Mesogog's fortress. They're the only things fast enough."

"I take it you've done this before?" Tanya asked.

"Dr. O got himself kidnapped before he became the black ranger," Kira stated with a nod. "We had to save him."

"I could have saved myself just fine, thank you," Tommy stated, rolling his eyes, but he did have to grin. "Ok, so Rocky will take Ethan's, Tanya can take Kira's, and that'll leave Adam with Connor's," he stated, but the last part came out more like a question.

"A green ranger riding a red bike," Connor laughed. "It just screams Christmas… hey wait, Dr. O, you were both a red and a green ranger."

"Shut it," Tommy growled at him, shaking his head.

"T'mas ranger?" Katie questioned from her seat on Rocky's lap. She frowned, as if trying to put it together.

"Yep Katie," Rocky laughed, "Uncle Tommy could be called a Christmas Ranger," he added in, chuckling. Everyone else laughed as well, even Tommy, who muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'I hate you all'.

They spent the remainder of the afternoon discussing the exact logistics of their plan for the following morning. When Trent arrived, his teammates filled him in before sending him down to the basement to give his dino gem to Haley. When he returned, he fell into a seat beside Kira, and began to tell Rocky and Tanya what he knew of the island fortress from his time as the evil white ranger. Any help he could provide was better than sending the three rangers in blind.

Around dinner time, Tommy sent the four teenagers home, despite Ethan protesting that he wasn't done helping Haley. Tommy assured him that the older rangers could handle things. He needed them fully rested, awake, and alert before sunrise the next morning. Eventually Ethan agreed, and all four teenagers removed their morphers, handing them to Tommy. They promised to meet at the designated place, approximately a mile from the beach shortly before sunrise.

"This will work," Connor told Tommy before he left that night. Tommy had only been able to summon a nod in response, before he went back inside the house. When he entered, he found Adam, Haley, and Billy had all taken a break and had come upstairs for dinner. Aisha and Tanya were in the kitchen cooking a meal for the seven adults and one toddler, since Luke was still only taking bottles. Tommy fell into his arm chair and looked around. His other four friends were scattered around the living room. Tanya held Luke, who was drifting back to sleep, and Rocky sat on the floor, rolling a ball back and forth with Katie.

"Got a progress report?" he asked Billy who nodded.

"The scanner works," he stated. "I tested it with your old communicator. It indicated that you were upstairs the entire time. So we moved on to a test for Kim."

"And?" Tommy asked.

"She's definitely on an island out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean," he stated, "but being so far away, I can't get an exact position."

"So what do we do?" Rocky asked him.

"We making a portable hand scanner," Adam replied. "We'll bring it with us tomorrow. Once we get there, we can use it like a GPS to find Kim."

"Good," Tommy stated. "Billy, I'm concerned Mesogog will know they're there."

"Doubtful," Billy replied, shaking his head. "Unless they trip any sensors. Assuming he has no knowledge of the zeo powers, while he might be able to detect you and the other dino thunder rangers, his power scanners won't recognize them as rangers."

"Well, that's one good thing," Rocky replied with a nod. It did make him feel better about going in just the three of them.

"They'll be taking the raptor cycles?" Haley asked Tommy, who nodded.

"Can you open a portal on the cliffs?" he asked her. "I don't want them near the beach if we can help it. Mesogog may have seen Adam and Rocky yesterday, but he probably thinks they're powerless now, after the exhaustion at the end of the fight. We'll use that to our advantage. He won't be expecting them."

"I'll get a fix on the portal we'll use tonight and program the coordinates into the bikes. You told them about the speed?"

"Five hundred and thirty six or risk being ripped apart," Rocky groaned, and Adam stared at him, mouth gaping slightly. Rocky shook his head, and Adam swallowed his protest, his face looking resigned. "We got it."

"How about the gems?" Tommy asked Haley. She reached into her pocket and pulled out two black dino gems, offering them both to him. He placed one in each hand and frowned at them, before weighing them each out and then running his fingers across them. "They feel the same," he stated with a bit of surprise in his voice. He'd expected her to do a good job, but he hadn't expected it to be that good.

"Can you pick the real one?" she asked him, with a slight grin.

Tommy frowned, and stared down at both gems. He could feel familiar energy radiating off both of them. Haley had done a good job incorporating the energy signature within the fake gem as well. "How?" he asked.

"There's a computer chip giving off the energy signature inside the fake one," she explained to him. "Still can't figure it out?" she asked, her grin becoming a smirk. Billy was smiling too, impressed with her abilities. Tommy looked back down at the two gems and tried to ignore everyone else in the room. Aside from Katie and Luke's noises, the room went silent, while he tried to figure it out. Several minutes passed before Tommy closed his hand around one gem and handed the other back to Haley.

"This one's fake," he stated, with a triumphant grin, gripping his dino gem tightly in his hand. Haley nodded once, taking the fake one from him.

"How'd you figure it out?" Adam asked him, holding his hands out to Haley and Tommy. They each deposited the gem they held into his hands. He held them up, studying them, before passing them to Rocky. "They're identical."

"The energy signature in the fake one is on a repeat loop," Tommy stated triumphantly. "I wear the gem every day," he continued. "The real signature is much more random. Haley's gem feels random at first, but if you wait long enough, and really pay attention, it'll start to repeat."

"These are excellent Haley," Billy told her when Rocky passed him the two gems.

"Thanks," she replied. "I still have to do Connor and Trent's. But three out of five finished isn't bad for the afternoon. They'll all be ready to go by tomorrow morning," she stated, taking the two gems back from Billy.

"Store the real ones in the safe with the morphers?" Tommy asked her.

"Dinner's ready!" Aisha called from the kitchen. The rangers all stood to go fix themselves plates, as Haley nodded to Tommy.

"Yeah, they need to be as far from that beach as possible, or Mesogog will catch on. My only worry is that after you guys get Kim back, you'll need them."

"We'll deal with that when it arises," Tommy assured her. "Having the gems close to the beach is a bad idea. It could cause the entire thing to go up in smoke before it even starts," he added, as he followed her into the kitchen.

* * *

The plan is in place. Kim's rescue takes place in the next chapter. I've got 37-38 finished, and 39 is halfway done. It should be another prolific weekend of posting. Hope everyone enjoyed the hump day post. Time to go grade student work.

Reviews appreciated as always.

Fateless


	37. Chapter 37

"Are you sure you want to come?" Rocky asked Aisha as the two of them got dressed the next morning. It wasn't even five am yet, and the sky was still dark. Katie was sound asleep in the second bed, while Luke slept in the pack and play they'd brought along. His voice was barely above a whisper.

"Absolutely," Aisha told him. "Tommy's is the safest place for Luke and Katie while you're gone. And I'm not just going to sit here imaging what's going on. At least there, I can help Billy and Haley monitor everyone's progress."

"Part of me wishes you'd go back to Angel Grove," Rocky told her, pulling his under shirt on over his head. Aisha walked over to him, placing both of her palms on his chest and leaning up to kiss him lightly.

"I'm not leaving you," she told him simply. "Or the others," she added in, wrinkling her nose. "Zordon knows it's safer back at home, but power rangers don't run from danger."

"You're not a ranger anymore," he told her, holding her shoulders, "and neither are they," he added, directing his eyes to the two sleeping children. Aisha shook her head.

"I already had my melt down over being here with them," Aisha told him. "I don't need you to have yours now," she added. "You've got to focus on the mission."

"Getting Kim back," he stated, with a nod. "And getting Tanya and Adam out alive."

"Second in command," Aisha stated, with a smile. She kissed him again. "You up for it?"

He looked down at his own shirt, and sighed, shaking his head. "I don't know if I should be wearing red or blue," he laughed. Aisha chuckled slightly, knowing that was the best answer she was going to get from him. In other words, he had no idea. She watched as he grabbed a red and blue plaid shirt from his suitcase. She'd dubbed it his indecision shirt.

Together they got their children somewhat awake and dressed. Aisha had already packed the diaper bag, and they arrived in the lobby of the hotel to find Adam and Tanya waiting for them. Adam seemed a little surer of himself than Rocky did, being dressed in green instead of his usual black.

"You're going to confuse Katie," Aisha told him. She carried Luke in his seat, while Katie slept on Rocky's shoulder. Adam just smiled slightly, as they all made their way out to the van.

The ride from the hotel to Tommy's house was silent. When they arrived, they found Tommy's jeep already gone. Despite knowing he wouldn't be there, not seeing it, caused all four of them to worry slightly. This was the first time in a long time they would be doing anything like this. And when they had done it, Tommy had normally been there to act as leader. They let themselves into the house using the key Tommy had left them, and Aisha immediately went to settle the children into the spare room where Billy was staying. The other three went straight to the basement.

"Right on time," Billy told them, from where he and Haley were setting up surveillance monitors. She had three separate views going. One showed the beach, where Tommy and the teenagers would be meeting Mesogog's minions. A second showed the outskirts of the city, and they figured that would be the meeting location of the dino thunder team. Finally, the third showed the cliffs. That was where the three zeo rangers were heading.

"We're not Tommy," Adam stated, trying to introduce a little humor to the tense atmosphere.

"You three ready for this?" Haley asked, spinning on her seat, as Aisha came down the stairs to join the rest of the adults.

"Ready as we'll ever be," Rocky replied, and Haley nodded. She got out of her chair and walked toward a chamber, holding a remote looking gadget in her hand. She pressed a few buttons and a wall panel slid away, revealing the three dino thunder raptor cycles. "Ok," Rocky laughed, "I'll admit that was a little cool."

"Agreed," Adam replied with a smile. "The shark cycles and jet cycles were ok, but these… wow."

"Thanks," Haley stated with a smile. "They'll do what we need. I've already programmed them with the coordinates of the cliffs and the invisiportal. They'll stop automatically when you reach your destination. To return, one of you needs to press this button," she added, pointing to a control on a cycle. "It'll open the return portal. You just need to make sure you get them going fast enough" she told the three of them, watching as the zeo rangers ran their hands over the bikes they'd be riding.

"Adam," Billy stated, handing his friend a small pocket sized device with a computer screen. "You'll need this to find Kim," he added. Adam studied it for a moment, and then nodded. "It's already programed to look for her power signature. Since we were able to detect her on the island, I have no doubt it'll point you towards her when you get there. Remember, don't engage in battle unless you absolutely have to. The primary objective is to get in, get Kimberly, and get out."

"You guys need to get going," Haley stated, glancing at the clock and then to the monitors. They could see Tommy and the others starting to gather on one of the surveillance feeds.

"Right," the three zeo rangers stated as one.

"Be careful," Aisha told them, stepping closer to Rocky and kissing him again. "All of you. Bring Kim back safe."

"We will," Adam told her. Rocky nodded, swallowing the nerves he felt about leaving Aisha and the kids behind. He looked at both his friends and then all three swung their arms through their morphing sequence. "It's morphin time," he shouted.

"Zeo Ranger two, yellow!"

"Zeo Ranger three, blue!"

"Zeo Ranger four, green!"

The three morphed zeo rangers mounted the bikes, and with one last nod to the three who would remain at command, they kicked them into gear, and sped out of the cave through the underground entrance.

* * *

The five dino thunder rangers met up with one another at the designated time. The sky was just beginning to lighten. The teenagers had left their school books in the two cars they'd taken. Tommy however, carried a small sack in his right hand.

"Why couldn't they say sunset instead of sunrise?" Connor complained, yawning when they were all together. Tommy and Trent shook their heads at him.

"Mesogog's not the romantic sunset walk on the beach type mutant," Ethan replied, with a smirk.

"You four ready for this?" Tommy asked, raising his eyebrow at the teenagers, who all yawned and shrugged in response.

"I feel weird," Kira stated, rubbing the empty spot on her arm where here communicator/morpher usually sat. She hated not having it, but she knew that for this to be believable, they couldn't have anything that might carry a trace of their power with them.

"This is going to hurt," Trent added back in. "No way are we leaving this beach without a fight."

"And we can't morph," Connor nodded. "We'll book it out of there as soon as we can, but we've got to buy enough time for Rocky and the others to get Kim."

"How will we know when it's done?" Kira asked.

"Haley said she's working on some kind of signal for us," Tommy replied, but he shrugged as well. "I trust her though. Worst case, we just need to keep an eye on the cliffs, and make sure Zeltrax and Elsa don't see them."

"Agreed," the four teenagers said.

"Alright," Connor instructed, holding out his hand for the bag Tommy had. A bit reluctantly, Tommy handed it over to him. "Let's get this over with," he added in, his teammates nodding and following him out onto the beach. In order for things to work the way they wanted, the rangers needed to be in position on the beach before Mesogog's party showed themselves. When they reached the edge of the water, all five turned, so that their backs were too the dark ocean, facing forward so they could see the cliffs.

The sun had just begun to lighten the sky in the distance when a greenish blue swirling portal opened almost directly overhead. All five rangers who'd been busing themselves with shells or sticks, or kicking the sand, looked up and then at each other, grouping in closer together, keeping the ocean at their backs. In front of them now stood a mass of tyrannodrones and the white and black fighters known as triptoids, as well as Elsa and Zeltrax. The cyborg carried a human sized cloth sack, cradled in his arms like a baby. But no Mesogog. While it didn't surprise them, it did make them worry a little more about how well the other three rangers would do at their task.

"You decided on the trade. Good choice black ranger," Zeltrax stated, addressing Tommy.

"I knew they would," Elsa laughed, casting a quick glance over her shoulder at the struggling form in the sack that Zeltrax held. She met Tommy's eyes squarely with her own. "He'll do anything to get his sweet little Kimmy back," she laughed. "Won't you Tommy."

"Shut up Elsa," Connor growled, flicking his eyes quickly to the top of the cliffs. If they were going to succeed, the zeo rangers needed to show up soon.

"Give us the gems," Zeltrax shouted.

"Give us Kimberly first," Ethan retorted. Despite being unmorphed, the dino thunder team had assumed their normal positioning. Connor at point, Ethan and Kira beside him, and Trent and Tommy on the ends of their formation.

"Gems first," Elsa growled, her eyes flashing with anger as she held onto Tommy's gaze. Tommy struggled not to look away from her as he caught sight of three flashes speeding almost invisibly across the tops of the cliffs in the distance. For a brief moment, there was a flash of greenish blue light, but immediately disappeared. However, it didn't go unnoticed by Elsa and Zeltrax.

"What was that?" Zeltrax growled, turning to look behind him. Elsa followed.

"Why does Mesogog want the gems?" Kira asked quickly, trying to get the two generals attention back on them. The question worked, and both turned back to face her. "It's not like he can use them while they're still bonded to us."

"Just how long do you expect to live without the ability to use your precious gems?" Elsa asked her, a sadistic smile crawling onto her lips. "You might have what, a few days?" she laughed. So apparently it was that simple. Separate the rangers from the gems, then destroy the rangers so Mesogog could assume control of their power.

"We'll find a way to stop you," Trent added in. "There's no way we'll let Mesogog get away with this," Trent continued.

"You should have stayed on this side White Ranger if you wanted to win," Zeltrax replied, pure hatred in his tone. He had personal reasons to despise both the black and white rangers. "Now give us the gems."

"Not until you give us Kimberly," Connor reiterated. He was slightly concerned about the generals' one track mind. As soon as they got the gems, they would be out of there. The rangers needed to make sure Zeltrax and Elsa didn't get a hand on them until they knew the zeo rangers were back with Kim.

"How do we know you'll hand them over once you have her?" Elsa asked, her cruel smile still perched on her lips. She knew they had the upper hand.

"Really?" Kira snorted a laugh of disgust. "We're the untrustworthy ones? Do you believe her?" she asked her teammates.

"How do we even know you brought the gems?" Zeltrax stated.

"Show them," Tommy commanded Connor. Now was the first real test. Connor nodded and reached into the pouch, scooping up all five dino gem replicas into his palm. He drew his hand out and held his palm face up, allowing Elsa and Zeltrax to get a glimpse of the gems. As soon as Elsa darted forward, Connor used his speed to dash further away, placing the gems securely back in the pouch.

"Kimberly first," he stated angrily, although he was satisfied knowing that Elsa had thought them real enough to risk lunging at him to grab hold of them.

"Fine," Zeltrax muttered angrily. Connor and Tommy exchanged looks and nodded, walking towards each other, before they began to head toward Zeltrax. Connor stopped a few feet back, and watched Zeltrax hand the squirming cloth sack to Tommy, who immediately back up, almost running and placed the figure in the sand. Zeltrax then turned to Connor and held out his hand expectantly. Connor sighed, and looked at the sack as if debating; in truth, he was playing the role they'd discussed the night before. "We had a deal," Zeltrax growled, and Connor looked up, praying his look of despair would be believable, and waiting for the signal from his teammates. Very slowly, he acted reluctant to hand the bag to Zeltrax, his hand moving at almost a snail's pace.

"Connor!" Trent shouted. "It's a trick!"

"Don't do it!" Ethan added, and Connor immediately tightened his grip on the sack, dashing away, and turning at the same time so he could see his teammates. Tommy was on the ground on his back, Trent stood over him, trying to pull a triptoid that hadn't been there a moment ago away from him.

"Nice try Zeltrax," Connor growled, turning back to the generals, knowing the other four rangers could handle one triptoid unmorphed. He took a deep breath. The cat was out of the bag, at least on Mesogog's side. The figure in the sack was not Kimberly. So at that point anything could happen. Connor just hoped that the lure of five realistic looking dino gems in a pouch would be enough to keep them from going back to Mesogog. He also hoped he and his friends didn't break anything as a result of an unmorphed battle. "No Kimberly, no gems. Deals off!"

"That was low," Kira added, "even for you."

"We'll be taking those gems, rangers. Like it or not," Elsa replied, clearly angry. Without even a warning, Elsa and Zeltrax charged toward the five unmorphed rangers, the group of triptoids and tyrannodrones behind them. Inside, Connor was pleased that the evil mutations were going to stick around and fight, apparently afraid of what would happen to them if they returned to Mesogog without the gems. Outwardly, he braced himself for impact, actually wishing for once that he had Ethan's power, as the small army enveloped the five rangers. Painful as the fight would be, they just had to hang on long enough for the zeo rangers to get back.

* * *

Kimberly paced back and forth inside her cell. She still had no idea what day or time it was, but considering she hadn't seen Elsa or Mesogog in a while, and the fact that her only company was a group of creepy white and black creatures that appeared to only have one eye, and shield type designs across their abdomens, Kim was pretty sure the 'trade' was taking place. She watched the strange mutations carefully, trying to figure out what they were doing as they placed strange circular devices around her cell. The only emotion she could feel at that moment was anger – the same emotion she'd felt when she'd been kidnapped. Although, now it had been amplified a million times and redirected at mostly Mesogog. The fact that she was imprisoned was entirely his fault. However, she saved a tiny bit of anger for Tommy for allowing her to still be a weakness for him. Granted, the thought brought her a bit of happiness at the exact same time.

Still, she tried her best to focus on somehow freeing herself, and stopping whatever was happening in Reefside or wherever she currently was. The creatures didn't pay any attention to her, despite the fact that she couldn't take her eyes off them. One approached the edge of her cell, and placed a small device beside it, before backing away. Kim frowned, watching it join its companions. The creatures left the cave, leaving her in total silence.

Suddenly, a loud robotic voice echoed off the walls. "Detonation Sequence Has Been Activated." Each of the small devices that littered the room lit up, a flashing red light emitting from each of them. Kim's eyes widened as she realized what it was. Mesogog had absolutely no intention of handing her over to Tommy and the other rangers. And despite Elsa's promise that she'd see him one more time, Mesogog apparently had other plans. He didn't need loose ends like Kim around to interfere with his plan.

"Shit!" she shouted, diving towards the one that the creatures had placed beside her cell. She reached her arm out in an attempt to get it as far away from herself as possible. She strained to reach it, as the light on top began to flash faster. She knew that was a bad sign. Immediately, she shifted her body and stuck her leg through the bars, kicking the device away, and pulling her leg back inside. She had just enough time to duck down, throwing her hands over her head as multiple explosions went off inside the small cave, blasts of bright red and orange fire going up around her, as the space filled with black smoke. Her ears rang from the sound of the blasts, so that she was unable to hear the sounds of rocks crumbling or metal being yanked off its hinges.

When the blasts finished, her hearing slowly started to return. She slowly blinked her eyes open, wincing as the smoke in the space stung them. She forced them shut again, bringing her hands up to wipe away the tears that were trying to wash them out. She groaned, trying to open her eyes a second time, as she pushed herself back off the floor and took a physical inventory. Her skin still bore the marks from Elsa's taser like device, but she now had multiple bruises and scrapes. There was a particularly deep cut over her left eye, and blood ran down her face. She blinked for a few moments, tears washing the majority of the smoke and debris out of her eyes. When her vision was clear enough, she was able to determine that the blasts had knocked the bars off of her cell. She inhaled in relief, and stood up slowly, afraid the blast may have injured her worse than she thought. When she didn't collapse, she stepped forward slightly. Finally confident, she bolted from the cell, making her way towards what she hoped was the exit of the cave. Just as she made it to the end, the robotic voice sounded again.

"Detonation Sequence Two Has Been Activated," it cried out, and Kimberly mentally cursed herself. She'd probably tripped it as she attempted to leave the cave. Mesogog was apparently not as stupid as he looked. However, rather than give her a flashing warning this time, a device just at the doorway exploded, throwing Kimberly back into the cave she was attempting to escape from. She felt her body leave the floor and sail through the air. She cried out when she struck the wall of the cave with her head, her eyes closing as she fell to the ground, unconscious.

* * *

After the coolest, and possibly scariest (at least when they'd suddenly entered a glowing green and blue vortex), ride of their ranger careers, Rocky, Adam, and Tanya were surprised when the raptor cycles suddenly stopped.

"Well, this must be it," Rocky laughed, nervously as he dismounted the blue cycle in the lead. Adam and Tanya nodded. "What's the scanner say Adam?" he asked, looking around him nervously. Adam had pulled out the scanner and turned it on. He was staring at the screen as he pointed it around him.

"This is definitely Mesogog's fortress. Kim's signal is coming in strong from over that way," he replied, pointing down a corridor on their left.

"Right," Rocky stated. "Stay close together. Billy doesn't think Mesogog will detect us as rangers, but that doesn't mean he can't sense intruders."

"Follow me," Adam stated with a nod, "and stay alert," he added in as he began to lead the way down the corridor, Tanya right behind him, and Rocky bringing up the rear.

They walked down the corridors, taking turns when the hallways split, following Adam's directions. The green zeo ranger barely looked up from the computer screen as they wandered deeper and deeper into Mesogog's fortress.

"I don't like this, you guys," Tanya told them, one hand on Adam's arm, stopping him. "We've been here a while and we've seen no signs of life at all."

"It is a bit strange," Rocky agreed. "I wonder where they've all…" his statement was cut off by a loud explosion, which was followed by several others. All three zeo rangers ducked down, unsure where the sounds were coming from. When they looked up, the blasts had stopped, but smoke billowed out into the hallway.

"It came from the same directions as Kimberly's power signature," Adam told them, as the three stood up.

"How much further, Adam?" Rocky asked, now taking the lead. His heart beating much faster as fear laced into him.

"Not much," Adam replied. The three rangers picked up their speed. "Turn left here," he added in, just as a second series of explosions shook the tunnels. "Shit!" he swore. "Kim's signature just got weaker."

"That can't be a good sign," Tanya stated the obviously. Rocky and Adam both paled inside their helmets as they drove themselves faster. They reached the entrance to the cave before the smoke had gotten the chance to dissipate. The explosion had caused a rock slide that was cutting off access to the cave where Adam had detected Kim's signal. A small hole remained in the top.

"She's in there," Adam stated, shoving the device into his belt and grabbing a few of the rocks, pulling them away. Tanya and Rocky immediately followed suit.

"We've got to hurry," Tanya stated. "I doubt those blasts went unnoticed," she stated.

"Yeah, but why would Mesogog destroy his own fortress?" Rocky stated.

"I think he was trying to destroy Kim," Adam answered, desperately battling to keep the fear from his voice. "Just about there," he added, moving a few more rocks and squeezing his way through the small gap. Rocky and Tanya both followed him inside, glancing over their shoulders to make sure they were still alone.

Smoke filled the cave, making it really hard to see as all three rangers scanned their surroundings, looking for signs of life. For a few moments, their hearts began to sink, worry setting in.

"There!" Tanya shouted, pointing to a prone figure against the side wall of the cave. Rocky and Adam followed her finger and then raced over to Kimberly's side, crouching down beside her. Rocky instantly checked for a pulse.

"She's alive," he stated, simply, relief flooding his voice. He gently rolled her over onto her back, as Tanya and Adam scanned the cave.

"She got herself out of the cell," Adam stated, with a bit of amusement. "If we'd given her a bit more time, she probably would have freed herself completely," he added in.

"Of course she would," Rocky laughed, gently patting her cheeks. "Come on Kim, time to wake up," he told her. Kimberly groaned slightly, and her eyes blinked open, but they wouldn't focus on anything, even as they flickered over the three zeo rangers.

"Billy? Trini? Tommy?" she muttered, before her eyes rolled back and she passed out again.

"Ok," Adam stated. "She's delirious; must have hit her head."

"We've got to get her back," Tanya stated, getting nods from Adam and Rocky. Adam bent down and scooped her up, cradling her body in his arms, pulling her tightly to his chest. Tanya took the lead this time, glancing up and down the tunnel as they emerged from the cave. She signaled that it was clear to Rocky and Adam who followed her out, Rocky bringing up the rear. "Stay alert you guys. We have her, but we need to get her back."

"Right," both men replied, following Tanya back towards where they'd left the raptor cycles.

"This was a bit too easy, don't you think?" Adam asked as they caught sight of the cycles up ahead of them. Rocky and Tanya didn't reply, but they were feeling the same anxiety. Just before they reached the bikes, several tyrannodrones poured out of a corridor on their left, surrounding them. "Should have kept my mouth shut," Adam groaned.

"Yeah, cause it's all your fault, frog boy," Rocky stated, rolling his eyes and striking out with a few punches and kicks. Adam used kicks to fend off any of the tyrannodrones that got to close to him, his arms too busy for punches at the moment. Tanya and Rocky pressed themselves closer to him, fending off as many of the creatures as they could, inching their way down the hall toward the bikes. Just as they reached the space where the cycles were, several tyrannodrones grabbed Tanya's shoulders and yanked her backwards, throwing her to the ground. Rocky spun on his heels turning back toward her.

"Get to the raptor cycles and go," he shouted at Adam.

"But," Rocky started to protest.

"No buts," Rocky stated. "I'll get Tanya, we'll be right behind you. You've got to get Kim home." Adam didn't move for a moment, as he watched Rocky move toward the hall where the tyrannodrones had tossed Tanya. Fear for his fiancé gripped him. It wasn't that he didn't trust Rocky, or even that he didn't think Tanya was incapable of saving herself. But in that moment, he finally understood how Tommy must have felt every single time that Kim was in danger while they were rangers, especially when he was helpless to get her back. "I said GO!" Rocky's voice yelled at him.

Adam processed that the blue zeo ranger had reached the tyrannodrones that had Tanya. He was quickly fighting his way through them to Tanya's side. Adam inhaled and exhaled sharply, as a tyrannodrones lunged for him. He tightened his grip on Kim and did a cartwheeled kick towards the cycles. His foot collided with one of the tyrannodrones, as the others leapt out of his range. He climbed onto the red cycle, tucking Kimberly across the body of the bike in front of him, cradling her in a sitting position against his left arm that held onto the handle bar. A tyrannodrone got close and Adam punched swiftly with his right arm, sending the mutant stumbling backwards, as he saw Rocky and Tanya racing towards him.

"Adam! Go Now!" Tanya shouted at him, and Adam pressed the button on the control. A beam of light fired from the front of the red raptor cycle down the corridor in front of them, opening a portal several yards away. He revved the bikes engine, and wrapped his right hand around the second handle bar as the bike sped forward, picking up serious speed.

"Come on," Adam muttered to the cycle, watching the speedometer approach five hundred miles per hour. "Come on faster," he growled at the bike. He slightly processed the sounds of two more cycles engines flaring behind him, just as the needle on the speedometer met the required velocity and the bike shot through the swirling vortex in front of him. One moment he was surrounded by dimly lit stone walls, and the next the bike was screeching to a halt out on top of the cliffs in open air. His eyes adjusted to daylight, as he twisted his body around to watch the blue and yellow raptor cycles emerge from the portal behind him, each with a ranger aboard. Adam let out a sigh of relief. "You both alright?" he called to them.

"Next time I tell you to go, you don't hesitate," Rocky growled at him, sharply.

"We're fine," Tanya stated, although Adam was pretty sure he heard irritation at him in her voice as well. He shook his head and looked out toward the beach.

"They're getting their asses handed to them," Adam groaned, watching two tyrannodrones kick Kira to the ground. He searched the area for each one of the five dino thunder rangers. Ethan was facing off with creatures that he, Rocky, and Tanya hadn't seen before, while Kira took on the tyrannodrones. While the zeo rangers watched, both were struck several times in ways that they were surprised hadn't shattered bone. They heard them both scream. Connor and Trent were facing off with a woman dressed entirely in black. Both sides were landing hits, but the zeo rangers knew it would be the unmorphed rangers who would feel the brunt of the battle. Both teenagers were tossing a pouch back and forth between them, keeping it out of Elsa's reach at all times. On the far end of the battle, Tommy squared off with a strange looking cyborg, alone. Despite this, he was the only one who didn't look like he'd recently bathed in sand.

"We've got to help them," Tanya stated.

"Tommy will kill us if we don't get Kim to safety first," Rocky stated.

"Rocky?" Haley's voice spoke through the blue bike. "You got her?"

"Yeah, but Tommy and the others need help," he replied, torn between what to do.

"Don't worry about them. We devised an exit strategy last night," she replied. "I'm programming the raptor cycles to bring you here now. Hang on," she stated. Inside their helmets, all three rangers frowned, but did as she commanded. "You're good," she stated. "Start the engines. We'll see you soon," she added, cutting the transmission. Adam and Tanya both looked at Rocky who shrugged, and started the blue cycle. It immediately took off. Adam nodded to Tanya, who followed suit.

"Tommy?" Kimberly's voice muttered from against his chest, her eyes barely open. Adam shook his head, but before he could reply, Kim slipped back into an unconscious state. He sighed and revved Connor's raptor cycle, speeding off after his two teammates, hearing several explosions from nearby powerlines going off above him.

* * *

Down on the beach, Tommy looked up, watching a shower of sparks, and catching sight of the three cycles speeding away. He was exhausted and drained, and near collapse, but that sight sent relief through every fiber of his being. It seemed to reenergize him, at least somewhat. He dropped lower to the ground and used a sweeping kick to take Zeltrax off his feet, before he raced toward Connor.

"Give me the gems," he shouted. Connor frowned, not remembering that part of the plan. He was supposed to hang onto the gems as long as possible, and only use them as a distraction if absolutely necessary. His game of keep away with Trent had only been to keep Elsa from laying her hands on them. However, Tommy's face looked urgent, and he immediately obeyed. Tommy began to back away from Connor immediately, his feet heading for the ocean.

"Stupid move, Dr. Oliver," Elsa laughed at him, as she lunged away from Connor and Trent, grabbing hold of Tommy's shirt, and yanking him towards her. Her fingers slipped, knocking him backwards. Tommy's feet spun in the sand, as he fell backwards, raising the pouch into the air over his head. The five multicolored gems flew out of the pouch, glistening in the rising sun, before they plummeted one by one into the ocean. Elsa and Zeltrax both growled, racing past Tommy and into the ocean. "Find them you fools!" Elsa hissed and the triptoids and tyrannodrones immediately abandoned their quarry, freeing Kira and Ethan, who scrambled towards Connor and Trent, Kira almost collapsing against Trent. Tommy raced to his feet, and turned, grabbing hold of the stunned teenagers, dragging them with him.

"Let's go. We've got to get out of here," he told them, forcing them to run with him. Despite their confusion, the teenagers turned and raced after him, Trent pulling Kira along.

"Won't they be searching for a while," Connor shouted, as they reached the end of the beach. Tommy didn't stop running, but shook his head no.

"The salt water will fry the computer chips in the gems. If they find even one, the energy read out won't be there. They'll know they're fakes," he replied. "We've got to get as far away as possible." As if to support his claim, the five rangers heard Zeltrax's furious scream from behind them. They winced, but didn't slow down. "Damn it, they were faster than I thought," Tommy hissed, his eyes darting around as he frantically searched for a way out, hearing the stomping footsteps of the tyrannodrones and the triptoids behind them.

Engine sounds reached them, and Tommy looked up in front of him. "Thank you Haley!" he heard Connor shout, jumping in the air at the sight of the three raptor cycles and two ATVs approaching. "This means the others made it back," he stated, joy in his voice.

"Let's go," Tommy stated urgently. He raced toward the black ATV and threw himself on it, not even waiting for the other four rangers. They watched him for a second before realizing he was gone and the evil minions were closing in on them. They shook themselves from their stupor and raced toward their vehicles, jumping on.

"Later losers," Connor laughed, just as the tyrannodrones and triptoids reached them, letting Trent take the lead, while he brought up the rear.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed the rescue. All the rangers had a role to play, and Kim was definitely no simple damsel in distress. And remember, I promised the rescue, not that Tommy would get to see Kim (I am clearly going to draw that out a while).

Review if you feel so inclined.

Fateless!


	38. Chapter 38

A quick Thanks to all those who reviewed as guests. I will admit, the next few chapters aren't excited to me as many of the others have been, but they're important in their own ways.

* * *

Tommy barely waited for his ATV to come to a halt before he threw the brake on and jumped off, running towards the entrance to his basement. He didn't even process the sounds of the four teenagers behind him. As soon as he entered the command, his eyes darted around, although he really didn't see much. Haley sat at the computers, but she spun around to face him as he came inside. Aisha sat on one of the sofas, a pouch similar, but larger than the one the rangers had had on the beach in her hands. Rocky, still morphed, stood beside her, helmet tucked under one arm. Adam and Tanya were nearer to the back of the lab, but also stood half morphed, their helmets on top of a nearby shelf, both watching Billy who was only a few feet away running a bio scanner over Kimberly's prone body. She lay across a stretcher like table, arms at her sides, beneath a blanket someone had thrown over her. Her eyes were shut.

"How is she?" he asked, immediately running to her side, his eyes only falling on her. The teenagers followed him in, but Rocky stopped them from following him all the way by stepping slightly in front of their path and shaking his head. Frowning, Connor sighed and prevented the rest of his team from protesting with a quick look. Aisha gave them a sympathetic look and held out the pouch she carried to Connor who took it and reached inside. He drew out his morpher and passed the bag to Trent, who did the same, before putting it on.

"She's been in and out of consciousness since we found her," Adam told him. "A bit delirious also," he added as an afterthought. Tommy looked away from Kim for a millisecond, before sighing and nodding. He fell into a stool they'd placed beside her, and reached beneath the blanket, grabbing her hand.

"Bio scans show she hit her head hard," Billy told him. "Most of her vitals are strong, but she's having trouble waking up."

"That's good though, isn't it?" Ethan asked. He and Kira had also taken their morphers from the pouch, leaving only the black brachio morpher inside. "Not that she hasn't woken up, but that her vitals are strong."

"Yes," Tommy replied, nodding his head, but not looking away from her. He took the hand that wasn't holding hers and ran it over the deep gash on her forehead. "She doesn't need stitches?" he asked, directing his question at Billy who shook his head, accepting the nearly empty pouch from Ethan.

"It'll close up on its own," Billy replied. "Physically, she'll be ok. She's lucky nothing was broken from what Rocky described," he added as he made his way closer to Tommy and reached into the pouch, running his hand over the morpher he'd helped Haley design. He gripped the key tightly in his other hand.

"What happened?" Tommy asked, at the mention of Rocky's name. Billy caught his attention and handed him the morpher and key. Tommy gave him a tiny nod of appreciation and strapped it where it belonged on his wrist, feeling the familiar surge of power from the dino gem back in place. He pocketed the key.

"We're not one hundred percent sure," Rocky told him. "There were several explosions. We don't know who set them off, but it appears Kim escaped from her cell on her own, and that the last blasts knocked her into a wall and unconscious. We were only attacked by tyrannodrones just before we left."

"Did you have any trouble?" Connor asked him. Rocky looked at Tanya for a moment but then shook his head.

"You guys should get going, or you'll be late for school. Randall will give you detention," Haley told the teenagers.

"You expect us to go to school?" Kira asked, disbelief on her face.

"Yes," was the reply from Haley, Tommy, Billy, and Aisha.

"What about you?" Trent stated, clearly directing his statement at Tommy who'd returned his gaze to Kimberly yet again. The current black ranger turned to open his mouth but was cut off.

"He's going," Billy stated, matter of factly, purposely ignoring the glare he knew he was getting. "Now go. He'll meet you there."

Connor nodded once, telling his teammates he'd streak back to his car and come back and pick them up. They agreed to meet him outside, and left through the exit that would take them into the main portion of Tommy's house. Tommy waited for them to leave before he turned on Billy.

"There is no way I'm leaving," he stated simply.

"Oh yes you are," Haley told him before Billy could answer, glaring at him. He'd already risked his life today. She was not about to let him risk his career for Kimberly as well. She was no longer sitting at the computer but had stalked toward him.

Tommy glared at her. He wanted to scream at her that there was no way in hell he was leaving Kimberly's side. He wanted to blame her for the state Kimberly was in. If she'd had just told him that Kim was in Reefside on Friday, maybe none of this would have happened. Maybe she wouldn't be laying on an exam table with Billy running bio scanners over her and checking for vitals. In that one moment, he hated her for keeping him away from Kimberly. Logic didn't have anything to do with it. Because logically, if he'd known about Kimberly on Friday, he might not have traveled into the past on Saturday, which would mean that none of his other friends would be back in his life.

"No I'm not," Tommy stated simply, slowly, drawing out every word separately, his gaze never breaking from hers. Tension laced the atmosphere and if it was actually possible, small bolts of angry electricity would have danced in the air between them.

Haley read between his words, understanding what he was saying. She took a deep breath and turned her back on him. "Fine," she stated, and walked out. The former rangers watched her go, not completely understanding the exchange that had just occurred. Tommy didn't even bother watching her leave. The moment she'd turned around, he'd turned his back to Kim, and began tracing the back of her hand again with his fingers. He didn't say anything as he ran his other hand over her forehead again, moving her hair away. He frowned slightly, seeing a dark mark on her forehead.

"Billy," he stated, "what's this?"

Billy walked closer, looking down at what Tommy had indicated. He frowned when he realized that Tommy had found the mark he and the others had tried to hide. He just hoped Tommy wouldn't think to look at the rest of Kim's body underneath the blanket. "I'm not sure yet," he said truthfully. He hadn't had time to investigate what appeared to be scorch marks on her skin. Even if he did, he didn't know if he could determine what caused them. "Tommy," he began, looking up at the others still left in the cave, and hoping they'd support him in what he was going to say next. "You need to go to work."

"Billy's right," Adam stated, immediately before Tommy could reply. "You have a responsibility, and Kim's not in danger, right Billy?"

"She'll be fine. It's just a matter of time," he confirmed with a nod.

"There," Rocky stated, walking towards Tommy. "You can't physically do anything for her. So you're going to work."

"But," Tommy started to protest.

"We're not going to leave her alone Tommy," Aisha assured him. "She'll be mad at you if she knows you risked your job for her."

"I can get a substitute," he stated simply, but watched as his friends shook their heads at him. "Why do you all have to be right?"

"Because it's our job to make sure you keep your head together," Tanya told him, with a slight laugh at him when she realized he was giving in.

"Go," Billy stated. "We'll keep watch over her. She won't be alone."

"You'll call me if anything changes?" Tommy asked, although he really knew he didn't need to.

"Of course," Rocky laughed at him.

"You'd better get going if you're not going to be late," Adam added in, smirking at him. "Actually, are you ever on time for work?"

"Haha, very funny," Tommy replied, glaring at him, though his expression clearly showed his amusement. "I'll take the ATV as far as possible and send it back with the autopilot," he added in, as he stood up and glanced back down at Kim. He didn't say anything to her, but ran his thumb over her forehead and then her cheek. "I'll be back as soon as the last bell rings."

"Drive safe," Billy commanded him, with a pointed look. Tommy nodded and walked out the tunnel entrance. His friends watched him go in silence until they heard the revving of the ATVs engine. "Well," he stated, looking at Rocky, Adam, and Tanya. "I assume it's safe enough for you three to power down now," he stated, a smirk on his face. The three zeo rangers realized they hadn't and blushed slightly before they powered down.

"Ok… don't like this feeling," Tanya whined, stumbling slightly as her body reacted the power fading from her veins. Adam caught hold of her, and helped her onto the sofa beside Aisha. He looked paler as well, as did Rocky. At least this time they had been expecting the weak feelings. "How often will this happen Billy?" she asked.

Billy gave her slight smile. "Can't say for sure. It'll pass soon. Food will help," he added.

"I'll go fix everyone breakfast," Aisha stated. "Rocky wanna come?"

"With you? Absolutely," he laughed, following Aisha up the stairs into the main portion of Tommy's house, leaving Billy, Adam, and Tanya to watch over Kim.

* * *

Tommy chose to eat lunch in his office instead of going to the faculty lounge. He'd thought it was a better idea to be alone with his thoughts instead of being surrounded by his colleagues. Unfortunately, this meant that anyone seeking him out could find him easily. In other words, Connor and the other teenagers knew just where to find him during the lunch period. They let themselves into his classroom without knocking and locked the door behind them.

"Have you heard anything?" Kira asked, sitting on one of the desks and placing her feet in the chair in front of it. Trent leaned against the desk beside it, while Connor and Ethan fell into front row seats. Tommy sighed and shook his head at them.

"They wouldn't not tell you, right?" Connor asked, uncertain. "I mean, if they thought you'd go rushing home."

"No," Tommy stated, although the thought had crossed his mind a few times that morning. "They'd have called. So as far as I know, Kim's still unconscious."

"Are you sure she's going to be alright?" Ethan asked him.

"Would I be here if I didn't believe what Billy said?" Tommy answered his question with one of his own. "How are you three doing by the way?"

"Sore," Trent admitted. "I'm more worried about tomorrow."

"Why?" Connor asked him.

"I'm pretty sure my body is going to look like one big bruise," Trent laughed. "Not sure how to explain it yet."

"We'll have to dress to cover as much skin as possible," Kira groaned, stretching. Now that they mentioned it, she had to admit she was hurting too. "Can we agree to try and never fight those things without our morphers again."

"Agreed," Tommy laughed. "I can't promise it, but that definitely isn't something I want to relive." The teenagers all nodded. "I want to thank you, by the way, you guys," Tommy told them after a few moments pause.

"There's nothing to thank us for," Connor replied.

"Dr. O," Ethan stated, "Kim's our friend too."

"No," Tommy told them. "There's a lot to say thank you for. Not just this morning," he replied. "You've done more than you could even imagine."

"Well," Trent stated, "you're welcome."

"So," Kira asked, "can we at least go back to your place and check on Kim after school, then? You know, as a thank you present."

Tommy laughed at her, and nodded. "I have to stop off at Cyberspace. And I believe someone has soccer practice again," he added, looking at Connor who sighed and nodded. "But as long as you're caught up on school work, I don't see why not."

"Why do you need to go to Cyberspace?" Ethan asked. "Isn't Haley at your place?"

Tommy shook his head. "No," he stated simply. "But I need to talk to her." The teenagers could read the expression on his face. There was something that he wasn't telling them.

"Um… ok," Connor stated, a questioning look on his face. Tommy's expression said he wasn't going to answer it, and Connor just shrugged. "You'll let us know if anything changes?" he asked, tapping his communicator. Tommy nodded and Connor stood up. "Come on guys, we still have a little while before lunch ends, and its pizza day."

"Thinking with your stomach again, huh Connor?" Trent asked, and he and the other teenagers followed Connor to the classroom door.

"See you guys later," Tommy called after them, taking some papers out of his briefcase. If he had to be at work, he might as well do something to keep his mind off the obvious.

* * *

Billy sat on the stool that Tommy had occupied that morning, holding Kimberly's hand. He'd administered all the first aid he could, bandaging the deepest gashes after cleaning them on her exposed skin. He'd applied burn ointment to the scorch marks he could see. And periodically he checked her vitals and brain waves. He didn't understand. There was no physical reason why she hadn't woken up. He briefly glanced away from her to look over at the sofa where Adam and Tanya were sitting together talking, Tanya tucked into the fold of Adam's arms. Tanya had sent him an email the week prior telling him about their engagement. He was happy for them. It was about time they'd taken their relationship to the next level. Rocky and Aisha were upstairs with Katie and Luke spending time as a family. It seemed like the events of the morning had caused them all to focus on what was important. He sighed and turned back to Kim.

"Come on Kimmy, it's really time to wake up now," he whispered to her, squeezing her hand, as he watched the steady rise and fall of her chest beneath the covers that indicated her breathing was strong and stable. What he didn't expect was the pressure being returned on his own fingers. His eyes shot open. "Kim, can you hear me?" he asked louder, getting Adam and Tanya's attention. Both sat forward, but Billy gave them a look that told them to stay in place. If she was actually waking up, he didn't want to overload her.

"Billy?" Kim's voice cracked, hoarse. She turned her head slightly in his direction, her eyes struggling to open. A smile broke out on Billy's face.

"Hey," he replied. "Yeah, it's me," he told her, squeezing her hand again. He still saw confusion in her face, but she knew who he was and that was a good sign.

"I had the weirdest dream," she whispered, her eyes focusing on him and then looking past him. "I was being held captive by a monster."

"That wasn't a dream Kim," he told her, his smile falling. "But you are safe now."

"I know," she stated, a slight laugh causing her to cough. "That wasn't the weird part." He smirked. Of course that wasn't the weird part. Kim never would have thought of herself getting kidnapped by evil creatures as weird.

"Oh?" he asked, wanting to keep her talking. He wasn't completely sure she wouldn't lapse back into unconscious. "Well, I suppose for us you're right, that wouldn't be."

"Yeah," she replied, turning her head back to the ceiling and closing her eyes again, her breathing going shallower.

"What was the weird part, Kim?" Billy asked her urgently. He directed Adam with his eyes toward a bio scanner. Adam immediately jumped up and quickly got the scanner, bringing it to him. "Come on Kimmy, I want to know."

Kim sighed. "It hurts," she stated, with a wince.

"The dream?"

"No," she replied. "My body. I wouldn't scream, so they hurt me," she whimpered. Her mind was beginning to tell her she was safe. She was no longer in defensive mode. She could give in. Billy wouldn't judge her if she screamed or cried.

"The burn marks?" he asked her, still keeping her talking as he ran the scanner over her body. Adam was now standing on her other side, holding the edges of the table. Tanya stood behind him, her hand on his shoulder. Kim didn't seem aware of their presence. She nodded her head, a tear escaping from under her closed eyelids. The bio scanner showed Billy nothing new, except that Kim's mind was becoming more alert.

"The woman in black," she stated, "used a taser; wanted me to lure him in by screaming."

"You didn't though, did you?" Billy asked her, now understanding why she had countless marks all over her arms, shoulders, and upper chest, as well as the one Tommy had seen on her forehead. Kimberly shook her head no.

"Wouldn't give her the satisfaction; she didn't know who she was fucking with," Kim replied, a slight smirk on her lips. Billy put the bio scanner down, and Kim turned back to him, cracking her eyes open. "I'm fine, aren't I?"

"Yes," he told her, laughing. He should have known that she would be aware of the scanner. "Physically," he added in.

"Doesn't matter that I didn't scream though, does it?" Kim asked him, keeping her eyes on Billy. He didn't answer. "I dreamed he came anyway," she laughed with a bit of a cough again. Her lungs still felt like they were on fire. Billy frowned at her, confused. "With you and Trini," she added. "Told you it was weird," she added with amusement in her voice when she saw Billy's confused face.

"Not entirely," Billy chuckled, realizing what was happening. He nodded towards Adam on her other side, and Kim frowned, turning her head to follow his gaze, her eyes finding her other former ranger, who gave her a small smile. "You saw Adam, Rocky, and Tanya."

"Adam?" the inflection in her voice indicated that it was a question.

"You remember Adam, right?" Billy had amusement on his face, but he was actually quite worried that she'd hit her head a bit too hard. Adam's face had fallen into a frown at the notion that she didn't know who he was as well. "You know, black ranger; spirit of the frog; also known as the zeo ranger four, and the green turbo ranger?"

"I know who Adam is Billy," Kimberly snorted, rotating back to face him for a moment. "I just didn't know he could morph anymore," she stated, as she moved to start to sit up. Both Billy and Adam moved to help her. Adam supported her, while Billy adjusted the stretcher she was on so that it would allow her to be in a sitting position. "Thanks," she muttered, looking around now that her vision was starting to clear, her voice was still hoarse, and Billy turned to grab a cup of water he'd been keeping nearby for when she did wake. He handed it to her, and she gave him another appreciative smile.

"We weren't entirely sure we could morph until yesterday either," Adam laughed.

"Zeo?" she asked him, understanding that he'd been the green ranger her mind had mistaken for Tommy. That meant that Rocky was blue, and Tanya was yellow.

"Yeah," he replied. "Fully powered. How you feeling?" he asked her, concern written on his face.

"Weak," she stated with a laugh. "Powerless, helpless, pissed off," she added in, a smirk still on her face.

"I meant physically," Adam laughed. Kim's emotional wellbeing didn't actually surprise him. She was normally ticked whenever the enemy used her as a pawn.

"My head hurts," she confessed, "and my muscles are aching; the burns don't feel so great, and my lungs are on fire. Otherwise, I can't complain," she laughed, drinking more of the water. She let her eyes look around and fall on Tanya. Despite the fact that they'd only met in person once, she knew exactly who the woman was. Aisha had talked a lot about her. "Hi Tanya."

"Hey," Tanya replied. "You know you're safe now right?" she asked, sensing there was still worry and fear in the former pink ranger's eyes. As a woman, she could pick up on things that Kimberly was trying to hide from Adam and Billy. Kim sighed and nodded.

"You guys risked your lives for me, again?" Kim asked, turning back to Adam. He took her hand and squeezed it.

"Of course we did. And we'd do it again," he answered her, giving her another reassuring smile. Kim sighed again and nodded once, once again, surveying the room.

"Where are we?" she asked, her eyes going over the computer consoles, the sofas, book cases, shelves, medical devices, computers, and finally settling on the very messy desk.

"Dino thunder command," Billy told her, seeing where her eyes finally landed.

"How long?" Kim asked.

"You've only been out for majority of the day. We got you back this morning," Adam told her. "Mesogog had you for about three days. It's about three thirty on Wednesday now."

Kim ran her hand over her face and shut her eyes for a few moments before opening them again. She took several breaths as she contemplated the fact that she'd been Mesogog's captive for three full days.

"Where's?" she started to ask, her eyes narrowing around the room as she searched.

"Aisha and Rocky are upstairs with the kids," Tanya told her, and Kim frowned for a moment.

"Right," Kim stated. "Rocky sent me a picture when Luke was born last month," she stated. They didn't talk all the time, and they hadn't seen each other in person in years, but Kim did at least know the big things happening in her friends' lives. She nodded, and sighed, turning to Billy, a question in her eyes.

"We sent him to work," Billy replied. "Otherwise he'd have spent the day fretting over you here. He probably spent the day doing the same thing, but at least it was at Reefside High School."

"Good," she laughed. "I take it you're under orders to tell him that I'm awake?"

"If you don't want him to kill us, we're going to have to," Adam told her. Kim nodded, and took a deep breath, letting Tanya's words about being safe sink in deeper. She wouldn't admit it. Not in front of her former teammates, but when the detonation devices had started going off, she'd been really scared that that was going to be the end of her life.

"Go ahead and let him know then," she stated, and the three of them nodded. Billy picked up Tommy's house phone, and Tanya went upstairs to tell Rocky and Aisha that she was awake.

* * *

Tommy walked into Cyberspace at about a quarter past three o'clock in the afternoon, despite the fact that he was desperately trying to ignore the fact that majority of his mind was telling him to get back in his jeep and go home to see Kimberly. However, the small, mutinous part of his soul, told him he needed to fix things with Haley. He couldn't leave them how they were that morning. She was his best friend, and like it or not, he needed her in his life just as much as he needed the other rangers.

He glanced around, taking in the already busy space, despite the fact that school had barely ended. He caught sight of the door to the back swinging on its hinges and sighed, rolling his eyes. He gave Haley's employee Kyla a quick smile as he walked around the counter and into the back room.

"You're not allowed back here," Haley told him, as soon as he'd entered. His head and eyes followed her voice and he smirked slightly at the glare she was giving him.

"Since when?" he asked her.

"Since I changed the rules," she stated, crossing her arms over her chest. "So go," she added in.

"Haley," he began, running his hand through his hair. "We need to talk."

"I don't want to talk to you right now," she stated simply, turning on him again and heading to her office. Tommy ignored her words and followed her. She went straight to her desk, and Tommy entered as well, shutting the office door behind him.

"Well, I say we're talking," he told her, seating himself in a chair on the other side of her desk. Haley folding her hands on top of the table, but continued to glare at him. "Or, maybe I'll just be the one doing the talking." Haley pursed her lips and narrowed her gaze, leaning back in her chair. She raised one eyebrow, indicating that she would listen to what he had to say, but she made no promises on replying back. "Haley, I'm sorry for blaming you," he stated, taking a deep breath. "I never should have. I let my emotions get in the way, and I blamed you for something that was never your fault."

"Damn right," she stated, angrily.

"But you should have told me Kimberly was here looking for me!" Tommy stated, exasperation in his voice. "She's important to me Haley," he added in.

"She's the reason you pushed your friends out of your life, no matter how much you argue that you did it because you were protecting them. You were afraid they'd hurt you the same way she did," Haley defended herself, glaring at him. "You were a mess."

"I'm aware of that," Tommy stated. "And I know you're the one I have to thank for turning me back into a functional member of society." She raised another eyebrow at him. "Alright, semi-functional." That seemed to satisfy her slightly. "You know I'm thankful for what you did. You know you're important to me too," he told her.

"Where was she when you were a damn coma Tommy?" Haley growled at him. "Where were the rest of them?" she added. "How about when the damn island exploded and you were missing? Not a single one of them showed up, least of all her."

"That's my fault," Tommy stated. "Not theirs."

"No Tommy," she replied. "They could have found you if they really wanted you in their lives," she argued back. "They're not innocent. She's not innocent."

"I never said they were," he added, thinking back to what Adam had told him after they'd ended up sparing in his basement on Sunday night. "But it's not up to you whether I choose to forgive them, or they choose to forgive me."

"I just don't want to see you hurt again," Haley replied with a sigh. She looked him in the eyes for the first time since he'd shown up without any trace of anger. "And I don't want the kids to get hurt. Especially not by her," she added in. "She supposedly loved you and could just walk out on you. She doesn't love the kids. She could just decide she's tired of them too."

"She wouldn't," Tommy insisted, realizing that Haley really was just trying to protect him and the rest of the team. He couldn't fully fault her for that.

"You don't know that Tommy," Haley replied, shaking her head. Tommy sighed, but he didn't reply. "So, I take it you spent the entire day by her side?" she asked, realizing they weren't going to agree on the last fact. Haley didn't trust Kimberly, and Tommy did. That was it. Tommy shook his head.

"They made me go to work," he stated, sheepishly.

"I'm glad some of them have sense," she laughed at him. Tommy looked up and smirked. "All of them?" He nodded. "Alright, maybe they're not so bad. People make mistakes."

"Thanks so much," Tommy laughed, glancing up at the clock on the wall.

"So, she hasn't woken up yet then?" Haley asked him, realizing that if she was awake, he'd be there with her now, instead of in her office trying to fix their fight. At least that was one thing she had with him. Tommy wasn't going to give up on their friendship just because Haley had stormed out. Tommy shook his head no. "You should go to her," she stated. "Be there when she does," she added in.

"We're ok then?" Tommy asked Haley, raising one eyebrow.

"I don't know if I can trust her Tommy," she stated, "but I will try. For your sake. And yeah, we're good."

"Thanks Haley," Tommy stated, standing up at the same time she did. They both hugged one another, and Tommy even placed a kiss on the crown of her head in her hair. He needed her friendship, and he was glad she wasn't going to make him choose between them. Still, he did have concerns. "Um… you might not want to come by for a while. She's going to know you lied to her."

"I'm not scared of her Tommy," Haley laughed. "But I'll apologize when you tell me I can."

"I will," Tommy laughed, although the look he gave her indicated he didn't quite think not being scared of Kimberly was a good idea. "I'll call you later." Haley nodded, and watched him go, shaking her head at him.

Tommy's cell phone rang just as he was getting in his jeep and starting the ignition. His own house number appeared on the caller ID. Frowning, he accepted the call and brought the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

"It's Billy," the voice on the other end came through. "She's awake," he stated, not beating around the bush. Tommy let out a sigh of relief.

"That's great. I'm on my way," Tommy replied, happiness radiating in his voice.

"You want to speak to her?" Billy asked. Tommy shook his head and then remembered Billy couldn't see him.

"I'd rather talk to her in person for the first time," Tommy stated.

"Fair enough," Billy replied with a slight laugh. "We'll see you soon."

"Thanks Billy," Tommy replied and hung up the phone. He put the jeep in reverse and turned to look over his shoulder and back out of his parking space. Unfortunately, before he could apply the gas, his communicator went off. "Damn it," he swore, shoving the car back in park.

"Go ahead."

"Dr. O," Connor's voice came through.

"Please don't say it," Tommy winced, hearing the anxiety and urgency in Connor's tone.

"Sorry; but I just saw a group of tyrannodrones and some strange half rhinoceros looking creature heading for down town. I'm just about to call the others. Mesogog must be ticked off about what happened this morning."

"Him and me both," Tommy growled, sighing, and pulling his keys from the ignition. "Alright, I'm on my way," he added ending the transmission and rubbing his temples. Apparently, seeing Kim would have to wait.


	39. Chapter 39

Trent, Kira, and Ethan pulled up in Trent's car in front of Tommy's house immediately after school, having bolted from their classroom the moment the bell rang. Tommy had laughed at them, but he'd promised that they could, so he hadn't stopped them on their way out. Trent led the way inside the house, noticing Rocky and Aisha in the living room with Katie and Luke. Rocky was giving Luke a bottle on the sofa, while Aisha sat beside him, reading Katie a book. The little girl had her sippy cup in her mouth and was standing in the circle of her mother's arms.

"Kewa!" Katie called out the moment the teenagers entered the room, and broke free of her mom, running towards them. Kira's messenger bag slid off her shoulder onto the floor as she stooped to catch and pick up the toddler who ran into her arms.

"Hiya Katie," she laughed, picking the little girl up and hoisting her bag back onto her shoulder. She tickled the little girl's stomach. Aisha shook her head at her daughter's antics.

"Hey guys," Rocky called from the sofa. "How you all feeling?"

"Like we got battered this morning," Ethan replied. Katie was leaning out of Kira's arms, her small hands extended to Trent. She was opening and closing her hands, a grin on her face. Trent laughed, and took Katie out of Kira's arms, bouncing the toddler slightly and getting more giggles.

"Well, you kind of did," Rocky laughed in response.

"You're spoiling her," Aisha told the teenagers as Trent set Katie back down on the floor.

"Sorry," Kira laughed. "Where's everyone else?"

"Downstairs," Rocky replied with a smirk.

"Stupid question," Trent conceded with a nod. "She still hasn't come to?"

"Not yet," Aisha told them, getting Katie back interested in her toys, instead of in climbing all over the teenage rangers. "You three going down?"

"Yeah," Ethan stated with a nod.

"We'll join you once these two go down for a nap," Rocky told them. Kira nodded and led the way down the stairs. They passed Tanya on the stairs. Both yellow rangers paused for a moment, eyes meeting. Tanya gave her a smile and a nod, and Kira dashed down the last remaining steps, her two male teammates very confused behind her, as they followed her straight into their base.

"You're awake!" Kira nearly shouted, when she saw Kimberly sitting up on the stretcher type bed they'd placed her on that morning talking to Adam who sat on the stool beside her. Billy was dialing a number on the phone.

"Shh…" Kimberly laughed, and Kira ran to Kim and hugged her, being careful not to bump any of her injuries. Adam had to jump out of the way so he didn't get bulldozed by the enthusiastic yellow ranger. "Billy's on the phone."

"Calling Dr. O?" Ethan asked, and Adam nodded.

"Sorry," Kira laughed. "I'm just really glad you're awake."

"Me too," Kimberly laughed, looking at the three teenagers, each who was grinning. "Wow this is weird," she added, looking between the three of them. "Am I the only one who feels they should be older?" she asked Adam who shook her head.

"Nope," Adam laughed. "Been dealing with strange cases of feeling really old for about four days now. It doesn't wear off." The teenagers smirked at him in response.

"Wonderful," Kimberly laughed, rolling her eyes and coughing slightly.

"Drink the water," Adam commanded her, resuming his seat on the stool beside her.

"He's on his way," Billy stated, turning to face them. "Hey guys. How'd you beat him here?"

"He said something about needing to go to Cyberspace to talk to Haley after school," Trent replied.

"Oh," Billy stated, frowning. "Well, that's good," he added.

"Why?" Ethan stated. "What happened?"

"We'll let them tell you if they want to," Adam told the teenagers, noticing Kimberly was frowning. She didn't need to know that Tommy and his friend had had an argument over whether or not Tommy should skip work to babysit her until she came to.

"You know what," Trent stated, turning to Kira, who gave him a questioning look in response. "I'm kind of missing them being our age. They didn't hide stuff then."

"Tough luck," Billy laughed at him, shaking his head. Trent opened his mouth to retort but was cut off by his communicator going off. All six individuals in the lab frowned in its direction.

"Never fails," Ethan stated, nodding toward Trent, who sighed and shook his head.

"This is Trent, go ahead."

"Trent, its Connor. Are Kira and Ethan with you?" Connor's voice sounded urgent, but they didn't sense any fear, so whatever the emergency was, it apparently was something handle-able. Granted, it still had to be an emergency, or Connor would have just called his cell phone.

"Yeah; We're at Dr. O's. Kim's awake," Trent told him.

"Well, that explains why he was extra irritated when I spoke to him," Connor groaned.

"Connor, did you have a reason for this?" Ethan grumbled, "Because I'm exhausted and my body feels like I got stepped on by a zord."

"Right, sorry, just getting a bit irritated with constantly being concerned Dr. O or Rocky are going to end my life."

"Connor!" Kira hissed, "get to the point."

"Tyrannodrones, rhino-monster, downtown Reefside. Figured the power rangers needed to make an appearance."

"Damn it," Trent hissed. "Alright, we're on our way. You good till we get there?"

"Yeah, they haven't spotted me yet and Dr. O's already on his way."

"Right," Kira stated, as Trent ended the connection with their leader. She groaned, stretching her muscles which already felt like they were on fire from the beating they took that morning. "I just wanted half a day off," she grumbled.

"You wanted more than that," Ethan laughed.

"I'm trying to not be selfish," Kira replied, glaring at him.

"Ready guys," Trent asked, swinging his arm up in front of him. Ethan and Kira both nodded, and copied his motion.

"We're going with you," Adam stated, already making his way to the foot of the stairs to get Rocky and Tanya.

"No," Trent stated, shaking his head, and dropping out of morphing stance.

"Trent's right," Ethan added in as Adam stopped just at the exit of the cave. "You all should stay here. We still don't know how much Mesogog knows about you, although after this morning it might be a safe bet that he'd be expecting more than five rangers."

"Still," Kira added in, "We're tired. Mesogog knows we took a beating on the beach this morning. If we fail, we'll need you three to do what you can."

"Don't talk like that," Billy told them.

"She's right Billy," Ethan told him, shaking his head. Their version of Tommy had taught them the value of being realistic and having back up plans. "If we need you, we'll contact you through the headset," he added, running to the main console and logging in. He wasn't sure Haley had given Billy the passcodes yet, or if he even needed them. He logged into one of the cameras overlooking the area Connor had referenced, catching a glimpse of a creature that did actually resemble of rhinoceros, walking on two legs. It was stocky, with heavy armor. However, in addition to the one horn a normal rhino had, it had two more above its eyes, similar to a triceratops. Its eyes were large and red. It looked like it was built for brute strength. Ethan groaned when he saw it, looking less and less forward to the battle he was about to run into. He picked up the headset and handed it to Billy. "Clearly there's an issue between Dr. O and Haley," he added. "We'll need you to fill in, just incase."

"OK," Billy stated, taking the headset and looking over at Adam. Kim was looking back and forth between her former teammates and the teenagers, unsure of exactly what to do at the moment.

"Adam?" Kira asked. "Please?" she added.

"Fine," he stated. "But if it looks like you need help…"

"We'll call if it gets that bad," Trent assured him. "We promise," he added in, and then turned to his two teammates nodding. Immediately all three morphed, and raced outside to where they'd left their vehicles that morning.

As soon as they were gone, Adam turned back to continue going up the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Billy asked, glancing at him over his shoulder. "You made them a promise."

"I know," Adam replied. "I'm going to get Tanya and Rocky. I want us to be ready to go if we're needed," he added. Billy nodded and turned back to the computer as Adam disappeared up the stairs.

"Billy," Kimberly asked, swinging her legs over the side of the stretcher. Billy turned towards her voice, and jumped up, seeing what she was doing. She pushed herself off the bed and stumbled slightly. He caught her before she could go down.

"You shouldn't be up yet. You took a real beating," he told her, although he knew at that point it was useless. He'd never get her back on the stretcher. Kim gripped him for stability, but shook her head. Billy rolled his eyes and sighed, helping her over to the couch.

"I'll be fine," she stated, once she was sitting again. "Please explain what the kids were talking about? Feeling like they'd been stepped on by zords; beating on the beach? Why exactly did Rocky, Adam, and Tanya come after me?"

"I was wondering when you'd ask that," Adam stated, leading Rocky and Tanya back down into the cave. Rocky immediately went to Kim's side, sitting beside her and wrapping his arms around her in a tight, but gentle hug. Confident that his former teammates would take her in hand, Billy went back to the computer system, studying the controls, trying to determine what he might need to do.

"Would have been down here faster, but I had to help Aisha put the kids down for a nap," Rocky told Kim, refusing to release his hug. "Aisha'd be here too, but Katie's being difficult. Can't exactly bring her down here."

"It's ok Rocky," she laughed, "you can let go now," she added, and Rocky laughed, releasing her.

"So really," Kim stated. "What happened this morning?"

"Tommy and the kids were the distraction. We knew Mesogog didn't know too much about us, so we took advantage of that fact," Adam explained. "Tommy was pretty sure Mesogog wasn't going to trade you, so he had Haley and Ethan develop fake dino gems for the trade."

"They couldn't bring their real gems anywhere near the beach, or it would have given the whole plan away," Rocky stated.

"You're telling me, they willingly went into a confrontation without the ability to morph?" Kimberly asked, surprise on her face. "They could have been killed."

"They know," Tanya told her softly. "But they weren't," she assured her. "They're all ok, all five of them."

Kim swallowed and nodded. Rocky, seeing her tense up, squeezed her hand.

"I'm getting a feed," Billy called over his shoulder. Adam and Tanya walked closer to view the screen, while Rocky stayed with Kim. "Tommy and Connor are already there," he added.

"Billy," Kimberly stated, "Can I go upstairs? I don't think I want to watch this."

He turned to face her, contemplating for a moment. "Your legs gave out when you tried to get out of bed on your own," he stated. Kim shook her head and stood up slower. She was definitely still a little wobbly, but she stayed on her feet, although Rocky held his hands close by to catch her. Billy sighed and nodded his head. "Rocky, can you help her?"

"Of course," he stated, supporting her slightly as they walked to the stairs. "You sure you can do this?" he asked her. "I can always carry you," he offered with a slight grin.

Kimberly gave him a playful glare but shook her head. They'd done enough; there was no way Kim was letting him carry her up the stairs as well. Taking a deep breath, Kim took her eyes off the top of the stairs and looked down at her feet. One step at a time. "Just don't let me fall backwards," she told him, a slight laugh in her voice.

"Aisha," Rocky called when they reached the top of the stairs.

"Shhh…" Aisha hissed, "Rocky! You know better. I just got her to sleep," Aisha's voice replied, only slightly above a whisper as the woman walked back down the hall towards the living room.

"Sorry," he laughed, "I brought you company," he added.

"What?" she asked, coming into view, confusion on her face. Her eyes landed on Kim, and her face broke out in a smile. "Kim!" she laughed, throwing her arms around her friend who hugged her back. "What are you doing out of bed?" she laughed.

"Billy pardoned me," Kim laughed. "I don't think I can watch Tommy and the teens fight. It's just a bit too much for me," she added. Aisha nodded, putting an arm over Kim's shoulder.

"We'll hang out up here. It'll be over before you know it," Aisha agreed. "I got her Rocky," she added to her husband who nodded and kissed her quickly before retreating back down to the cave. "Girl," Aisha laughed. "You're a mess," she added, looking over her dress.

"I know," Kim stated. "Should have dressed more appropriately for a kidnapping," she laughed.

"Let me guess; the plan was to give Tommy a heart attack?"

"You think it would have worked?" Kim snorted a laugh.

"Absolutely," Aisha replied. Reunited, it felt like they had never been apart.

"This his house?" Kim asked, looking around. Aisha nodded. "Which way to his room?"

"That way," Aisha indicated, frowning, unsure where her friend was going. "Why?"

"If he's still allowed to risk his life to save me, then I'm still allowed to borrow his clothes," she laughed. Aisha raised her eyebrows, but laughed as well, following Kim down the hall to the appropriate room.

* * *

Trent led the sprint from their rides to where Tommy and Connor were standing, just about to engage the creature, who hadn't yet spotted the fact that it had company. The mutation was rampaging, breaking anything it could find. It almost seemed like a physical representation of the anger that the dino thunder team was pretty sure Mesogog currently felt after the outcome of that morning. None of the rangers was really surprised that the only things accompanying the mutant were Mesogog's foot soldiers. Zeltrax and Elsa were probably being punished beyond anything the ranger's imaginations could come up with.

"So, run of the mill monster or deeper sinister scheme?" Ethan asked, as the five rangers grouped together, amusement and irritation conveyed in his words. They were so exhausted from the constantly onslaught as well as their unpowered battle that morning, that if they didn't try to laugh at it, they might all seriously pass out.

"Mesogog is pissed," Connor replied, "pure and simple."

"I doubt he had time to really plan anything," Tommy agreed. "Stupid thing even looks like it was slapped together in a hurry."

"So, you think he expects to win?" Kira grumbled.

"He's probably hoping we're weakened," Trent replied to her. "He's got a thing or two to learn, still."

"Alright," Connor stated, stretching his muscles that had started to cramp up. "Let's stop it before it causes anymore damage," he told his teammates who nodded, and followed him as they approached the creature. However, instead of a customary insult to get the mutant's attention, Connor just pulled his Thundermax saber from its holster and fired, striking the thing in the shoulder. He was too irritated for a verbal barb.

The rhino-creature spun away from the dumpster it was denting, roaring as it did, to face them. Mouth open, it revealed a mouth full of shark like teeth. Inside their helmets, the rangers all raised their eyebrows, clearly not intimidated, and just way too exhausted to care much. The creature sneered, and kicked the ground with one of its legs before it charged at the rangers.

The creature was faster than it looked, and all five rangers quickly jumped to the side to avoid being trampled. Up close, the mutant was huge, and they were pretty sure it hadn't yet grown to zord necessary proportions. The creature whirled around as the rangers rolled to their feet, circling back on Ethan. Just before it reached him, Ethan activated his armor. Unfortunately, the rhino was more powerful than anticipated, and Ethan still winced, the force of the blow causing him cry out in pain as it drove him to the ground. He was pretty sure the mutant had struck one of the bruises caused earlier by the triptoids.

Connor spun his upper body, still crouched on the ground, weapon drawn in hand, and pointed it over his shoulder, and fired at the monster, who had raised one of its club like arms in an attempt to deliver another blow to the downed blue ranger. Sparks flew, and the monster stumbled back, as the tyrannodrones that accompanied it, surrounded the five rangers.

Kira growled, and exhaled angrily before taking a deep breath and letting loose a ptera scream that knocked the minions off their feet and set them hurdling backwards to the ground. When her teammates looked up, only a handful remained standing, and the yellow ranger was on her knees breathing hard, arms wrapped around her torso.

"Kira?" Connor called out, concerned.

"I'm good," she muttered. "But that hurt," she added, referring to the fire in her lungs. She'd known she'd used up most of her ability during the beach battle that morning. She wouldn't be using it again for a while. She pushed herself back to her feet, glancing around and noticing Tommy had assisted Ethan in standing after Connor had knocked the creature away.

"Ethan?" Connor turned his attention to the blue ranger.

"Armor's weakened, but I'll live," he replied, shaking his head as Tommy released him with a nod.

"You two take down the rest of the tyrannodrones," Connor commanded to the blue and yellow rangers, letting his visored gaze fall on Tommy and Trent. "We'll go after rhinohead," Connor growled, referencing the creature. The other four rangers nodded and moved to do as he suggested.

Kira and Ethan ended up tag teaming the remaining tyrannodrones, rather than taking them on independently. They were able to make quick work of them. Kira was able to incorporate several of the skills she had learned during her time in Angel Grove, which would have actually made Tommy proud if he'd had even a moment to observe her.

However, the rhinoceros dinosaur hybrid creature was proving to be incapable of pausing for a moment to think. It hadn't spoken a word, so the rangers weren't sure it actually had that capability. Instead, it appeared it had been designed with one purpose – destruction. It didn't need to be pretty or complicated or thought out. There was no plan to its actions, save for annihilating anything that it came in contact with. Even when it wasn't charging towards and attempting to obliterate the rangers, it was flipping over dumpsters, ripping up pipes, and punching holes through brick walls.

"So," Connor stated, as he, Trent, and Tommy circled the mutant, personal weapons in hand, trying to catch their breath. The creature was inside their circle, head spinning back and forth between the three rangers, trying to determine which the best to attack next was. "This is a Mesogog temper tantrum," he stated. "Good to know."

"Clearly someone needs anger management classes," Trent replied, just as the creature decided to target him. The mutant dashed forward, aiming all three of its sharp horns at the white ranger, who jumped to the side to avoid being hit. The horns missed, but Trent was hit in the side by the creature's massive head. He managed to stay upright, but was still spun by the force and thrown backwards. "Definitely needs some lessons," he hissed out, pain evident in his voice. His face was pale underneath his helmet.

The mutant, furious, whirled around, roaring at the top of its lungs, stomping its feet, and flailing. It halted for a moment, spreading both thick arms out to the sides and fired several laser like beams from each of its three horns at Connor, Trent, and Tommy. The rangers, not sensing a long distance attack, didn't react in time, and were sent flying off their feet as they were struck by the blasts.

"That was unexpected," Tommy stated through gritted teeth, pulling himself back to his feet, as Kira and Ethan regrouped around the other three, tyrannodrones completely down for the count.

"Way to state the obvious, Dr. O," Kira replied to him. Tommy just growled, frustrated. He wanted to be back in his basement with his friends. He wanted to be somewhere not being attacked by mutants. And he wanted to be reunited with Kimberly.

"You guys mind if we just destroy this thing?" Connor growled. "I mean, the work out is great and all, but I'm really getting tired," he added in.

"What do you have in mind?" Ethan asked him.

"Keep it simple," Connor stated.

"Z-rex blaster?" Trent asked him, and Connor nodded. Kira and Ethan summoned their weapons.

"Let's put them together," Connor shouted, as his team fell into formation, assembling the blaster. Exhausted as he was, Connor didn't even both with the normal count down. He'd had it for the day. He was tired and just done. "Fire," he stated simply, coldly, and angrily. The golden beam of light generated by the weapon shot forward, striking the creature dead center and sending it flying backwards as it exploded into a multitude of pieces. The five rangers broke apart, Connor standing at the center, holding their assembled weapon, Kira and Ethan to either side of him, Trent and Tommy on the outskirts. None of them moved, each glaring at the spot where the rhino creature had burst apart into fragments.

"Wish he'd hurry up already," Tommy grumbled, from beside Kira. Connor shook his head slightly, and gave a sarcastic snort of laughter.

"Patience Dr. O," he cautioned. Tommy nodded once, but deepened his glare, just as a yellow flare erupted in the sky, which instantly darkened, black clouds forming to block out the sun. "Told you," Connor added, as a chemical rain poured out over where the creature had been. The pieces collected in on themselves, fusing, before stretching into a purplish goo. The creature elongated and grew, solidifying into same monster, just now sized for battle with the zords.

"Ready to take on the supersized freak?" Kira asked her teammates, who nodded.

Tommy swung his left arm up in front of him, and spoke into the morpher, using his mind more than his words. "Brachiozord Now," he shouted. Second later, the ground near them shook under the weight of the massive transport zord. The black dinozord called out, craning its long neck slightly downward before three compartments opened, releasing three smaller, though still enormous dinozords. Kira, Ethan, and Connor each leaped into the air, entering the cockpit of their respective zords.

"Logging on!" all three shouted, placing their hands on the sphere within their respective cock pit.

"Tyrannozord!"

"Tricerazord!'

"Pterazord!"

The three dino zords maneuvered through their formations. Connor's red Tyrannozord formed the majority of what would be the megazord, taking the shape of the torso, left arm, both legs, and head. Ethan's blue Tricerazord shifted to form the megazord's right arm. Finally, Kira's yellow Pterazord took on the shapes necessary to form the chest armor and helmet of the megazord.

"Thundersaurus Megazord! Online," the three rangers shouted, as they joined together in the central cockpit, hands on their spherical control panels.

At the same time they were doing that, Trent lifted his morpher to his mouth and called out "Dragozord, stegozord!" After which both zords emerged from their hiding places, rushing out, with roars and screeches to meet the rangers. As soon as they were within range, Trent leapt into Stegozord, placing his hands on his control sphere. "Dino Stegozord formation!" he shouted, feeling the zord shift around him. The Dragozord split becoming the helmet, legs, and arms, while the Stegozord formed the head and torso of the Dino Stegozord.

Both Megazords stood beside each other, shifting into fighting stances in front of their mutant opponent. The creature roared, and charged toward the Thundersaurus Megazord. Connor, Kira, and Ethan managed to maneuver to the side just in time to avoid being struck head on. They spun, and turning back to face the creature.

"That was too close," Ethan growled.

"This thing is really beginning to piss me off," Connor added, as the creature zeroed in on Trent. Trent managed to fend him off with several kicks and punches as Dino Stegozord and the rhino mutant met in physical battle.

"Little help here guys!" Trent called out, as the creature used a powerful blow to send his megazord crashing to the ground.

"Hang on Trent!" Kira shouted, looking over at Connor and Ethan. "We've got to do something," she told them. Both boys nodded, and they brought the Thundersaurus Megazord closer.

"Tricera fist!" Ethan shouted, and the megazord's right arm slammed into the body of the creature, sending up sparks and smoke, and causing the mutant to stumble backward, while the Dino Stegozord regained its feet.

However, the creature remained on its feet and roared, opening its arms wide, sending laser like blasts at the Thundersaurus Megazord. Unable to dodge, the megazord controlled by the primary colored rangers was sent flying, landing on its back on the ground, while the occupants of the cockpit screamed.

"Not good," Kira stated, as the creature closed in on it.

"On my way guys," Trent's voice came through their intercom. Just before the mutant reached the still grounded megazord, he sent electricity beams from the eyes of his megazord, striking the mutant. A second shower of sparks and explosions occurred as a result but the creature still did not go down.

"What's with this thing," Connor growled, as he and the other two with him maneuvered the Thundersaurus Megazord onto its feet. Both ranger's megazords regrouped with one another. "Nothing we do touches him."

"He's too strong," Ethan agreed.

"Dr. O," Connor shouted downward to the ground where he knew Tommy would still be with the brachiozord. "Want to call us up some help."

"I think I have just what we need," Tommy stated with a nod. He had positioned himself against the brachiozord to prevent himself from getting stepped on. He inserted his key into his morpher, and called out. "Auxillary zords! Cephalazord, Dimetrozord, Ankylozord!"

"Nice plan," Trent laughed, happily as the three zords called upon showed themselves. He released the arms of the Dino Stegozord. He focused on his controls, and the shapes of the Cephalazord and Dimetrozord shifted, becoming the right and left arms of his megazord respectively.

"Thundersaurus Megazord, Ankylozord formation," Connor, Kira, and Ethan shouted. The Tricerazord released, and was replaced by the shifted Ankylozord.

"That's more like it," Tommy shouted up to his four teenage teammates. "Now end this," he added in.

"Right!" All four in the cockpits of the two megazords retorted. The megazords approached the mutant, which roared and began to charge at them both again. The megazords side stepped out of the way so that there was one on either side of the creature.

"I don't think so," Connor growled, glancing to his left and right and getting nods from both Kira and Ethan.

"Double Drill Attack!" the three rangers called out together, as both the right and left arms of the Thundersaurus Megazord spun, crashing directly into the creature and sending it flying backwards in a shower of sparks and smoke, directly towards the Dino Stegozord.

"Cephala Power Punch!" Trent called out, shoving the zord's right arm directly into the rhino mutant. Another shower of sparks, as well as an anguished roar from the creature occurred. "Dimetroblade!" he added, and the circular saw like blade that was the zord's left arm began to spin. He drove it directly against the creature. This time, when it cried out, it fell to the ground in a series of explosions, separating into pieces that disintegrated.

"Yes!" Kira exclaimed.

"We got him!" Ethan added in, as the three primary colored rangers exchanged high fives. Trent laughed, content within his own cockpit, and Tommy smirked inside his helmet, curling his right fist into his left palm.

"Mesogog down and out twice in one day," Connor laughed. "I like it," he added, as all four teenagers vacated their zords. The dino thunder team sent the zords back to their holding places, and slipped down a narrow alleyway. Ethan scanned the area quickly and then nodded to Connor, giving him a thumbs up. "Power down!" Connor stated, with one quick nod of his head. Instantly, all five rangers demorphed, and actually groaned, leaning against brick walls and railings. Without the power boost, exhaustion set in.

"Someone needs to send Mesogog a memo. I need a nap," Kira complained, leaning against the side of the building.

"I don't think he cares much," Trent laughed at her, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her into a hug. Kira pouted slightly and transferred her weight onto his shoulder.

"Well, maybe after that he'll give it a rest for at least a day. Nurse his wounded pride," Ethan suggested with a shrug. Connor laughed and shook his head, stretching his aching muscles.

"I wouldn't mind a day off," he stated. "I think I want to submerge my entire body in a vat of hot water. We'll all definitely be feeling it tomorrow. What do you think Dr. O?"

"I think I'd just like to get home," Tommy replied, getting nods of agreement from his teammates. "Let's go," he added, leading the way out of the alley through a different entrance than they had entered. They came to a crossroads and split up, Connor leading the teenagers to his car where'd he'd parked upon seeing the tyrannodrones, and Tommy back to Cyberspace where he'd left his jeep.

It wasn't too long before both vehicles met back up outside of Tommy's home in the middle of the woods. None of the rangers hesitated, but Tommy's speed getting out of the jeep was unmatched. He reached the door before any of his teammates and immediately opened the door. However, before he could take more than one step inside the foyer he was ambushed.

"What the hell was that?" Rocky demanded, disbelief, jealousy, and amusement in his voice as the teenagers entered the house behind Tommy. Tommy was searching everywhere with his eyes, not completely registering that Rocky, Adam, and Billy were all standing near him. Billy was laughing, and Adam stood with a smirk and his arms crossed over his chest. Tommy frowned for a second, just registering Rocky's question.

"What was what?" he asked, still trying to get past his friends, but being unwilling to vocalize his desire.

"You used like nine zords! What the hell, there's only five of you!" Rocky laughed.

"Rocky, you did have about thirteen zords during Zeo," Billy reminded him, pulling his hand out and counting off. "Five zeo zords, five super zeo zords, Pyramidas, the Red Battlezord, and the Warrior Wheel."

"Yeah, but we had six rangers," Adam protested, frowning.

"That's still two per ranger," Billy argued, shaking his head. He knew all about the dinozords. Tommy and Haley had filled him in.

"Still," Rocky laughed, shaking his head. Although there were at least four different configurations of the zeo megazords, he'd never witnessed the interchangeability that the Thundersaurus Megazord and Dino Stegozord seemed to possess. "How many do you have?"

"Zords or Megazords?" Trent asked him with a laugh, casting a look at the anxious looking Tommy, who still seemed to be trying to get out of this conversation.

"Both," Adam stated, curious as well.

"Well, you saw nine," Connor laughed. "There's two more zords, the Parasuarzord and the Mezadon Rover," he explained. "Four Megazords, but they can interchange pretty easily, so we've got tons of possibilities, depending on what we need."

"No fair," Rocky joked. "Their toys are cooler," he stated, and Billy laughed at him shaking his head. Adam just grinned.

"That did look awesome," Adam replied, and the teenagers grinned, glad that their predecessors were impressed, despite their physical exhaustion. Frowning, Adam let his gaze fall on Tommy. "Tommy, what are you doing?" he asked the individual who was glancing around quickly and trying to get past his friends who'd pinned him into the foyer. While the conversation that had taken place had in reality only lasted about thirty seconds, it felt like a lifetime to Tommy. He glared at Adam, an exasperated look on his face. "Oh," Adam laughed, realizing the problem. "She's in the living room," he added with a bit of a laugh, stepping out of the way to offer his former leader a clear path. Tommy didn't hesitate, but instead sprinted around his friends, and dashed straight into the living room.

He didn't know what he'd been expected. Part of him imagined he'd be capable of going right to her like he had with everyone else, and starting conversation, or hugging her. A very tiny part of him imagined she'd fall into his arms and they'd share a kiss. However, until that moment, he hadn't realized exactly how nervous he would be. He skidded to a halt, his eyes circling the living room. The television was on and Katie sat on the floor flipping through a picture book. Tanya was on one end of the sofa, talking with the two other women, one leg crossed over the other as they laughed. Aisha sat on the floor, her back against the base of the sofa, Luke sleeping in her arms. Between them, on the sofa was a woman with light skin and brown hair that went just past her shoulders. She was wearing an oversized button down dark grey shirt, and a pair of black and grey plaid men's pajama pants. She was leaning over Aisha's shoulder, talking, and admiring baby Luke. However, she paused when she felt eyes on her, and she looked up slowly, a slight shy smile falling onto her lips when she met Tommy's eyes with her own, and saw that his mouth was slightly a gape. Behind him, his current teammates and his three former male teammates had gathered behind him, snickering, grinning, or looking slightly confused by the situation depending on their current point of view or frame of reference.

"Hey," Kimberly finally stated, pushing a strand of hair out of her face, after only a second of silence between the two of them.

"Uh… hey," he replied, his face blushing a deep red when he realized he was wearing all of his emotions on his face. He ran his hand through his hair. He couldn't take his eyes off of her, no matter how hard he tried, as the awkward silence crept back in. The only thing that snapped him out of it was a weight hitting his left leg. He blinked and glanced down into the grinning face of Katie now attached to his leg.

"Uncky Ranger! Up Now!" she ordered, lifting both of her arms into the air, indicating he didn't have a choice.


	40. Chapter 40

Tried to post this this morning, but apparently the site was down. Anyway, just wanted to give you all a heads up that the plot is winding down in my head, there's probably about 10 chapters left, give or take a few. But, there is a sequel planning itself as well. So, I hope you'll all keep reading. Anyway, you didn't click to hear read my rambling. Enjoy the chapter.

Fateless

* * *

Not liking the fact that her order had been more or less ignored by the stunned, barely functioning current black ranger, who had actually turned back to stare at Kimberly, unsure what to say or do next, Katie stamped her foot and glared up at him. "Up!" she announced.

"Tommy, Kim?" Aisha stated, looking between the two and then at her daughter. "You want to be alone?" she asked them. Her words seemed to be exactly what the two rangers needed.

"No!" they both nearly stated, volume slightly elevated in both of their voices. They both immediately blushed, and cast their eyes away from one another. Tommy turned his attention to the small girl tugging on his pants. Sighing at his own reaction to Kimberly, he stooped and picked the little girl up. For her part, Kim turned to downcast eyes to Aisha.

"No," she said more softly. "I haven't seen everyone in years. I don't want anyone to go," she tried to justify.

"What she said," Tommy added, shaking his head slightly, and walking into the room carrying a now happily babbling Katie. He immediately retreated to his arm chair which, since it only sat one, was the safest bet for him at the moment. While Kim was unconscious, it had been easy to be near her. Now, he wasn't so sure he could handle this. Sure, he'd just been with her a week ago. But that Kim hadn't written the letter. That Kim had still loved him. This one, well, he had no idea. The last time he'd seen her, they'd had a silent understanding that they wouldn't bring up their past. They'd barely spoken to each other. He regretted that now.

"OK," Rocky stated, unsure, drawing out both syllables of the words. Tommy sitting down seemed to be the signal for the entire group to migrate into the living room area of the house. Rocky took a seat on the floor beside Aisha, while Adam squeezed himself between Tanya and the armrest. Billy took one of the two love seat spots, while Kira collapsed into the other. Trent perched himself on the armrest, leaving Ethan and Connor to find places on the floor.

"Hey Kim," Connor stated, giving her a smile, as he sat down. He was the only member of the dino thunder team who hadn't technically greeted her yet. "Small world huh?"

Kimberly laughed in response, shaking her head as she studied him. "I should give you a beating for not telling me who you were on Saturday," she scolded him. "But I think you'd had enough for the day."

"I'll say," Ethan snorted, and Trent hit him lightly. "Ow," he complained, rubbing the spot. He hadn't been hit hard, but at that point, his body felt like one massive bruise.

"In my defense, I didn't know who you were Saturday morning," Connor laughed in response.

"And Saturday afternoon?" she laughed, looking at all four teenagers. "You had to know I knew you were rangers," she added.

Trent nodded, and gave her a smile. "Yeah, but we didn't exactly know how to tell you that we knew you were one."

"Could have told the truth," she laughed.

"And you'd have believed it?" Kira asked her. Kimberly giggled slightly and shrugged.

"Possibly," she stated, "It's not the first time one of us has time traveled. I've done it twice," she stated. "Still, it was never to a time recent enough to impact my actual life," she added in. Everyone laughed, nodding.

"Twice?" Kira asked her, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep," Kim replied. "Once, with these guys," she indicated most of her former team. "And once on my own," she added in, allowing silence to overtake her as she thought back to both times. Tommy had been part of what saved her, in some capacity, each time.

Sensing the silence, Connor looked around the room for a moment, counting off eleven rangers. "This is weird," he laughed, taking a deep breath.

"You're telling us," Adam snorted, getting nods from Aisha and Rocky.

"What do you mean?" Tanya put in, not really understanding what her friends were indicating.

"The last time we were all together was nine years ago," Kimberly explained to her, looking around the room. She let her eyes pass over Tommy quickly, avoiding looking at him. "Sort of, right?"

"It was more like a week ago for us," Kira told her with a nod. "It feels the same, but different at the same time."

"We're all still the same people," Rocky stated.

"Are you?" Ethan asked him. "Cause you were seventeen the last time we were all together. It's been a while. Can you still say you're the same?"

"In the ways that matter most, they," Tommy began, then frowned, as he examined the group, "we," he amended, "are. So we're older. We're still your friends." He purposely kept his gaze from lingering on Kimberly too long. He was still trying to comprehend why she was sitting there, in his living room, almost a decade after they'd broken up, wearing his clothing. The only part of the concept he was grasping was that Kimberly had been unclothed in his house, possibly in his room. And that wasn't exactly helping him.

"Friends Dr. O?" Kira asked, raising her eyebrow at her teacher. "You mean like you're our mentor and you care about us?"

"Or like we're friends?" Trent added in a smirk on his face, pointing to himself and the other three dino thunder teenagers. Tommy scowled at him, but shook his head. He knew the teenagers were pressing it purposely. They wanted to make him say it out loud.

"You know perfectly well that after our little trip, things are different," Tommy told the white ranger.

"Awww," Connor laughed. "He loves us," he snorted. Tommy glared at him, but he was too tired to argue with him. Instead he just shook his head slightly and turned his attention back to the toddler on his lap, bouncing her slightly.

"He loves us more," Rocky replied to Connor, laughing. "He's known us longer."

"By like two years at most, maybe," Ethan argued. Rocky stared at him, mouth open in a retort, but failing to find one.

"The power of time travel," Billy stated, laughing at Rocky's expression. "He has a point."

"How'd he become a blue ranger again?" Adam asked Billy. Rocky grabbed one of Katie's stuffed toys and threw it at his friend, who caught it and tossed it back at him, a grin on his face.

"Told you we're the same," Tommy laughed at the childish antics of his friends. "They can't even act like grownups."

"You all do realize you're arguing over who Tommy loves more, right?" Tanya asked them all.

"Good point," Rocky stated, and Tommy feigned a look of being hurt.

"Katie," he told the child, "they're all really mean," he added. Katie just giggled at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "They don't love me."

"Love Uncky Ranger!" Katie told him.

"See," Tommy told them, hugging the little girl back. "Someone loves me."

"Yep," Aisha stated, although she wasn't looking at Katie. Instead, her eyes were on Kimberly, who looked away and blushed. Tommy caught the exchange between the two female rangers out of the corner of his eye, but chose to ignore it for now. He still wasn't entirely comfortable with this situation. "Anyway," Aisha continued, "What happened out there? What was the attack about?"

"Oh," Trent stated, thinking back on what had just happened. "Nothing except a pissed off mutant bent on world domination."

"Mesogog threw a hissy fit because of this morning," Kira added in. "That mutant had absolutely no brain. All brawn."

"Piece of cake," Connor stated, although his teammates shot him a look. "Ok, more than cake. Physically, it was tough."

"You're all ok though, right?" Kim asked them. She and Aisha hadn't watched the battle. All they knew was what the others had told them when they'd come upstairs. Before anyone could answer, the doorbell rang. Tommy looked confused for a moment. The only individual in his life missing was Haley, and she wouldn't have rang the bell. Rocky pushed himself off the floor and went to answer the door, Tommy's questioning gaze following him.

"We ordered pizza," Billy explained. "Figured you all might be starving," he added in.

"You guys are awesome," Connor stated, getting nods from the other three dino thunder teenagers.

Tommy laughed and shook his head. "You're spoiling them," he told his former teammate.

"You're just afraid we'll like them more than we like you," Kira quipped at him, leaning back against Trent's arm beside her. Trent was smirking at Tommy.

"Don't you?" he asked her, amusement on his face.

"Of course we do. Even without pizza," she replied. Tommy just laughed at her.

"You guys didn't have to do that," Tommy told his friends as Rocky came back in carrying six large pizza pies.

"We didn't have to," Aisha agreed with him, "but we did it anyway. Think of tonight as the official reunion. We're all together again after nearly a decade."

"A week," Ethan muttered, and Aisha glared at him.

"Dude, former or not, she's yellow," Connor told his friend. "She can hurt you," he added.

"He can be taught," Rocky laughed at the current red ranger, setting the pizza boxes down on the coffee table, a stack of paper plates on top of them. Tommy set Katie down on the floor and stretched.

"I'll get drinks. Water for you guys?" he asked the teenagers, knowing they'd feel like he did – dehydrated. The teenagers nodded. "Anyone want a beer?" he asked the adults in the room.

"I'll take one," Adam replied, and Rocky nodded as well. Tanya raised her hand.

"Water for me," Billy stated.

"Me too," Aisha added in. "And Katie's sippy cup is in the fridge if you don't mind."

"No problem," Tommy assured her. He cast his eyes to the only individual in the room who hadn't answered. "Kim?" he asked her, figuring her beverage of choice would at least be a safe topic.

"I'll take a beer," she told him, standing up and walking toward the kitchen. Tommy hesitated for a moment, but then followed her, confused. After all, the last time they'd been together, they were just barely over the age of eighteen. His brain was not really computing that, just like everyone else, Kimberly was a legal adult. "I'm kidding," she laughed, noticing the surprise on his face, as she leaned against the kitchen counter and he began to pull out the requested drinks from the fridge. "I need water after the day I've had. But I'll take you up on the beer tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" he asked. He was just trying to get through the evening, and she was thinking about tomorrow. He handed her five bottles of water, while pulling three more out as well, along with three beers, and Katie's sippy cup.

"I'm not leaving Reefside tonight Tommy," she told him simply, meeting his eyes. Tommy stared at her for a moment, searching for a hidden meaning, and not finding one. Sighing, he nodded. Both of them stood there for a moment, feeling the elephant in the room. The one topic they refused to talk about.

"I'm glad," he finally told her, with another nod. Kim gave him a nod in return, and then walked past him, back out into the living room to deliver the water she was holding to the teenagers. She sat back down in her spot on the sofa, and grabbed herself a slice of pizza as Tommy followed, still trying to piece together everything that was happening inside his home. Internally, he shook himself of the stupor that Kim kept causing and handed the correct beverages to each of his friends, kicking Connor out of his seat, the teen having jumped into it while he was gone.

The group fell into various conversations over the meal, sometimes all speaking as one, and other times breaking into small groups. Billy and Rocky wanted to know more about the zords, Billy from the technology aspect, and Rocky because he was still trying to grasp how the different formations seemed to work. Ethan and Connor did their best to explain. Adam was playing with Katie on the floor, while Aisha and Kim fussed over baby Luke. Kira, Trent, and Tanya were talking about music by the time the group had finished eating. Tommy yawned, and cast his eyes over the group, stretching and wincing as his sore muscles protested. He glanced up at the clock. It wasn't late, but it was pushing mid evening.

"Ok you four," he called out, knowing the teenagers would realize he was talking to them. Teacher voice and all. "I know you've got homework to do. You should start heading home," he added. The four looked at him for a minute and sighed. He was right. And they really didn't need to start falling behind. Especially if Mesogog was going to keep up with the daily attacks.

"Tommy's right," Kimberly told them, not looking at the person she was speaking about. "We can all catch up some more tomorrow when school's out."

"If we have to," Connor muttered, but he did reluctantly stand up, his teammates taking their lead from him. "Besides, I wasn't kidding about dunking myself in a hot vat of water."

"At least we've got short days tomorrow and Friday," Kira reminded her friends.

"We do?" Tommy asked, frowning. With everything that had been happening, it was a wonder he remembered which way to wear his pants, let alone the school schedule. Kira raised an eyebrow at him, while Trent nodded, and Ethan and Connor snickered.

"Some administration work day," Kira stated, more for the others and not as much for Tommy who really should have remembered. "We're done at noon."

"Great," Rocky stated. "What do you say we make this into a normal person's reunion?"

"A what?" Ethan asked laughing.

"Rocky means a barbeque, with no one getting kidnapped," Adam explained. Rocky just laughed and nodded. "You do have a grill right?" Adam asked, turning to Tommy.

"Yes," he replied, "But I'm not sure it works," he added in. He'd bought one, but he couldn't recall ever using it. He didn't normally have guests, besides Haley. The teenagers were always there, but they tended to fend for themselves.

"We'll make it work," Tanya laughed at him. "So you guys come straight here after school," she told the teenagers.

"Yes ma'am," Connor laughed. "Come on guys," he added to the teenagers. "Let's go before our parents start asking where we've been spending all our time."

"See ya," Ethan called. Trent waved, and Kira hugged Kim and Aisha each once more before they followed Connor out of the house.

"You know, they turned out pretty cool," Adam told the group, getting nods. "You did a good job with them Tommy."

"I don't think I had all that much to do with it, but thanks," Tommy replied, shaking his head. Without the teenagers, the room felt emptier, but at the same time it felt more crowded. He now had less places to look and less people to focus on to prevent his attention from falling to Kimberly. "Are we really having a barbeque tomorrow?"

"Yep," Aisha laughed at him. "So maybe we'd better get going to. I'd like to get the kids to bed at a decent hour. And sleep wouldn't hurt Rocky either."

"Hey," Rocky stated. "Just cause I morphed today doesn't mean I need an early bed time."

"Oh really?" Aisha asked, raising her eyebrow at her husband. "Why have you, Adam, and Tanya been yawning all evening then?"

"Well, we have been up since before dawn," Adam argued, but Tanya gave him a look. "Alright, it took more out of us than I care to admit," he confessed.

"We owe you guys," Tommy stated and Kimberly nodded.

"Don't worry about it," Tanya told him, standing and walking behind him. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "We're not the ones who got our asses handed to us on that beach," she added, kissing his cheek as Aisha had done.

"The teens got their asses handed to them. I stayed on my feet," Tommy laughed, but nodded. "It all worked out."

"Come on guys, let's head back to the hotel," Rocky told them, standing up and helping Aisha gather up Katie's belongings. "Aisha's right," he stated, picking up Katie and dangling the little girl upside down. Her shirt fell over her face and Rocky tickled her belly, making her giggle.

"I need to call Andrew and check on the dojo," Adam stated, following Rocky's lead. "And you said you need to call the studio?" he asked Tanya who was putting on her shoes. Tanya nodded.

"I guess I should check in with Cestro. See if there's anything he needs me to do on Aquitar's teleportation system from here," Billy added to the conversation, standing up. "Tommy, mind if I use the computers downstairs?"

"Go ahead," Tommy told him, nodding and looking around as his friends collected their things. "Oh…" he stated, slowly, his eyes falling on Kimberly.

"Yeah," she stated, a bit of amusement in her eyes, as she leaned forward, her legs crossed at the knees. "Remember me?" Everyone turned to look at her. Adam frowned, Tanya and Aisha looked slightly confused, and Rocky smacked his palm against his head.

"Kim, where have you been staying?" Tommy asked her.

"You mean before the Plaza Mesogog?" Kimberly laughed. "Reefside Inn," she replied.

"We are as well," Aisha stated. "We'll give you a lift."

"That's not exactly the problem," Kimberly laughed. "My cell phone, room key, and my ID were in my purse. Which is conveniently located," she paused and laughed, "I'm not really sure. Where ever Mesogog was holding me for the last few days."

"Island fortress," Tommy stated, exhaling slowly and looking around. Kimberly nodded, a slight smirk on her face.

"Good think I left my car keys and the rest of my wallet in the hotel room," she stated. "At least all I have to figure out is how I'm going to get into it."

"We can figure that out tomorrow," Tommy told her, although he wasn't exactly sure he was doing the right thing. "You'll stay here tonight," he told her.

"Are you sure?" she asked, tilting her head at him. She was already standing there wearing his clothing. She might as well stay at his house. Tommy sighed and nodded. "Alright then," she replied with a nod. Tommy turned back to his friends who he realized had just watched their slightly uncomfortable exchange and had to stop himself from shaking his head at their bewildered gazes.

"See you all tomorrow afternoon?" Tommy asked them, leading the way to the front door. The three other zeo rangers and Aisha snapped out of it at his words and nodded.

"You can count on it," Rocky told him, shaking his hand and giving him a one armed hug, carrying Luke's seat in his other hand, before he led the way out of the house.

"Say goodnight to Uncle Tommy," Aisha told Katie, leaning the two year old towards him as she passed carrying her.

"Nite Uncky Ranger!" Katie obeyed, wrapping her arms around his neck and planting a very toddler style kiss on his cheek. Tommy laughed and ruffled her hair as Aisha pulled her away.

"Night Katie," he stated.

"Night Tommy," Tanya stated, following Aisha.

"Night Tanya," he replied, with a smile, still holding the door open for all of them. His eyes fell on Adam who followed Tanya. The former ranger paused and glanced back into the house before turning to Tommy.

"You going to be ok?" he asked his former leader. Tommy followed his gaze, knowing what he was getting at and then shrugged, looking briefly at the ground before he looked back up at Adam.

"She's not a fifty foot tall monster," he stated.

"No," Adam replied with a slight laugh. "But that might just make it worse."

"I'll be fine," Tommy stated. "Besides, Billy's here." Adam nodded and followed Tanya. Tommy waited until they'd all gotten situated in the van and then turned out onto the road before he shut the front door and turned back to walk into the living room, realizing that in reality he was all talk. He was not fine.

Kimberly was still sitting there, on his sofa, wearing his clothing. Despite the fact that she had no makeup on and her hair was a mess, she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. And he'd actually seen quite a few women since the last time he'd laid eyes on her. Adam had been right to worry. When they'd all been together, there was plenty to distract him. Keep him talking. He'd even had a few casual conversations with her. But now they were alone. Even Billy was downstairs contacting Cestro, and Zordon only knew how long that was going to take. Tommy sighed and ran his hand threw his hair, not even sure what to say or do.

"Hey again," Kimberly finally said, breaking the awkward staring contest they were having. Even without an audience, it was strange.

"Yeah," he stated simply. "I'm going to go check and see if the grill has propane," he added. "You know, for tomorrow." He cursed his cowardice as he walked by her towards the sliding door that led to the back yard. As soon as he got outside, he busied himself with the grill. He started by lifting the plastic cover he kept over it, and then lifted the lid, examining the cooking surface, although he really had no idea what he was looking for.

"Crazy thought," Kimberly's voice caused him to jump. He hadn't expected her to follow him. "If you're checking the propane, you might want to have a gas grill instead of a charcoal one." Tommy winced at the amusement in her voice, and nodded. Of course she'd seen right through him. Still, he kept his back to her, as she walked up beside him. "My dress was basically disintegrated," she explained. "Didn't think you'd mind," she added in, a smile on her lips. Of course he didn't mind. As much as he loved Adam, Rocky, and Billy as brothers, he was glad she'd decided to find something to cover herself up, even if it apparently had the added property of making him extremely uncomfortable.

"I don't," he lied. He minded of course, but not in a bad way. It was just that he'd been unable to think of a whole lot else all night.

"I never really got the chance to say thank you," Kimberly told him softly. Tommy allowed himself to look at her in the light of the back porch. He sighed and shook his head.

"Nothing to thank me for. You were in trouble. We did our jobs," Tommy told her. Kimberly nodded and didn't press it, even though she knew that he knew that she knew that he'd have done it even if he hadn't been a fully powered power ranger.

"Are you badly hurt?" Kim asked him, concern in her voice. "The others said you and the kids fought unmorphed."

"I'll feel it more tomorrow," Tommy replied, rubbing the back of his neck with the palm of his hand. They were both trying so hard to avoid the awkward silence and the tension that they knew existed. "How about you? How's your head?"

"Little bit of a headache," Kimberly confirmed. "Billy said I avoided a concussion though," she added in.

"That's good," he stated. "And your cuts and bruises?"

"I've had worse," she lied.

"I know you haven't," he told her, indicating the mark he'd seen on her forehead earlier that day. Kimberly stared at him for a moment, but then sighed and shook her head. She knew she wouldn't be able to hide it all from him. "What did they do to you?"

"I'm safe now thanks to all of you guys. Does it matter?" she asked him, stepping back and sitting on a bench he kept on the back porch. She placed her hands on either side of her, gripping the seat, and crossed her legs at the ankles, swinging them back and forth slightly.

"Yes," he replied, knowing she was hiding something. He frowned and walked towards her, taking a seat on the bench beside her. "Tell me."

"No," she stated simply, casting her eyes down to the floor. "You almost got yourself killed once because of me, again! Tommy, there's absolutely no reason you should skill keep risking your life for me," she'd said the last few words, turning her head so she was meeting his eyes, trying to get her point across.

"Tell me," Tommy stated, ignoring what she'd said, his eyes meeting hers. He knew she hadn't forgotten the one thing that had happened during his trip to the past that told her exactly why he still kept risking his life to save hers. He knew she remembered that his future self had kissed her. That he was still in love with her, even if he wouldn't admit it to her or himself.

"Tommy," she started to protest, and he shook his head.

"Tell me," he commanded her. "Or I'll think the worst."

"It's pretty bad as it is," she told him, but nodded, understanding what he meant. "They tried to make me scream for you," she stated slowly, rolling up the sleeve of his shirt that she was wearing and showing him the marks on her arm. She then pulled the shirt at the neck and revealed another mark on her shoulder. Tommy's eyes watched her, going from mark to mark, anger flaring hotter each time he saw a new one. "Some taser device. She wouldn't stop till I screamed."

"Elsa?" Tommy asked angrily and Kimberly nodded, turning and casting her eyes down to the floor again. Beside her she felt Tommy's body shift as he clenched both of his fists. She peaked out at him from under her eyelashes. She could read his body language. She knew he was thinking about morphing right then and there and seeking out Mesogog's general. "I should have," he started to say, glaring at the floor.

"Done what Tommy?" Kimberly asked him, looking back up at him. She knew what he wanted to say. That he should have been there. She didn't want to hear that. It was her fault that he wasn't there. It was her fault that they hadn't seen each other since her surprise visit to Angel Grove. It was her fault they hadn't really talked since before she'd left for Florida. And because of her, that he had cut himself out of everyone's life. "There was nothing you could have done. We couldn't have seen this coming. Besides," she stated, "I'm ok now. Tired, sore, but I'm ok."

Tommy inhaled sharply, trying to get his temper under control. He was exhausted. That was the only thing stopping him from flying out the door and hijacking one of the zords in an attempt to reach Mesogog and pound him into oblivion. He nodded slowly, realizing that in her explanation, Kimberly had grabbed hold of his arm. He looked down at her hands, which she noticed and immediately released him. "We both are," he confirmed. "Why don't you go take a shower and head to bed," he suggested. "It's been a long day. You'll take my room."

"Tommy, no. The couch is fine," Kimberly replied, shaking her head.

"I insist," he told her. "I won't hear another word against it," he added, as they both stood and walked back into the living room. "There's towels under the sink in the bathroom," he added when they reached the living room. Kimberly gave him a smile of thanks and left to do as he suggested. Tommy fell onto the couch, noticing Billy was sitting in the arm chair, a book open on his lap. The former blue ranger raised an eyebrow.

"How long have you been up here?" Tommy asked him, a slight glare on his face.

"A few minutes," Billy confirmed, with a smirk.

"You could have come outside and rescued me," Tommy told them as they heard the sound of the water start running.

"Didn't think you needed rescuing," Billy replied simply. "Besides, you both need to talk. You've been holding onto things for too long," he stated, and Tommy knew he meant the fact that he'd still had the break up letter in his possession. Tommy sighed and nodded. They did need to talk. He just wasn't sure they were ready for that. "Don't let her leave again without talking," Billy told him, picking his book back up.

"I never planned to," Tommy stated.

"Yeah, but I'm sure you didn't plan for Kimberly to be naked in your house either," Billy replied with a smirk. Tommy tried to scowl at him, but the thought was just too much. He laughed gently, allowing his mind to actually process what Billy had just told him.


	41. Chapter 41

"Morning Tommy," Billy stated as Tommy came into the kitchen the next morning, dressed for work. Billy was already dressed as well, sitting at the small table reading a newspaper and drinking a cup of coffee. Tommy grunted in response, and Billy laughed at him. "There's coffee in the pot over there," he stated, shaking his head. Tommy walked towards the cabinet and pulled out his travel mug before going to the pot and pouring coffee into it. He took a long sip off the mug and then refilled it.

"Thanks," he told his friend. "So, um, I've got to get going, but Kim's not awake yet."

"Tommy, she's not going to think you bailed on us. She knows you're a teacher," Billy laughed at him again. Tommy laughed and shook his head.

"I know that," he added. "It's just, I've got Haley coming over here. She's got an idea on how to get into Kim's hotel room. But they're not exactly one another's favorite people right now."

"Gotcha," Billy stated, nodding. "Don't worry, I'll handle it."

"You sure?" Tommy asked him, making sure the lid on his mug was tight enough. Billy nodded as Tommy picked up his messenger style briefcase and put it over his shoulder.

"Go," Billy assured him. "It'll be fine. I'll call the others over early if I think I need backup."

"Right," Tommy laughed. "What time is everyone coming over?"

"No clue," Billy replied. "Go. We'll see you this afternoon." Tommy nodded and headed out the door. Billy heard his jeep's engine starting as he went and washed the mug he'd been drinking from, just as Kimberly walked into the kitchen, still wearing Tommy's clothing from the day before. "Morning Kim," he stated as she yawned and fell into the kitchen chair he'd just evacuated. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine Billy," Kimberly assured him, knowing he was still worried about how long she'd been unconscious the day before. "Seriously," she stated with a laugh when she saw that his face clearly suggested he didn't believe her. "I'll even let you run a bio scan if it'll make you feel better."

"It will," he replied with a grin, grabbing another coffee mug and going over to the pot.

"Tommy leave?" she asked, as Billy handed her the hot coffee. She inhaled its aroma and gave him a smile of gratitude.

"You just missed him," Billy stated with a slight smirk. Kimberly smirked as well and shook her head.

"Guess he tries harder not to be late for anything these days," she told her friend, although she was looking down at her cup of coffee.

"He's grown up," Billy added with a nod, taking a seat across from her. "We all have," he told her. Kimberly nodded and looked back up at him.

"And apart," she stated, but Billy shook his head.

"No," he stated simply. "We've been apart physically, but we can pick up right where we all left off. Clearly the bonds we had were still strong enough for a well-executed rescue," he told her, gripping one of her hands.

"It's not that easy for us though," Kimberly replied, shaking her own head. She knew he'd know that she meant herself and Tommy. She'd easily fallen back into the old friendships she'd had with the others. That was easy. They'd never disintegrated. And while she and Tommy could seemingly converse, the problem truly lay with the fact that they had never actually been friends.

"It can be," Billy told her. "If you talk to him."

"I talked to him all last night. You were there, you watched. It was a train wreck," Kimberly laughed.

"Don't play dumb Kimberly," Billy scolded her. "You know exactly what kind of talk I mean. You do know Tommy told me what happened that night on the porch of the cabin?"

"What night?" Kimberly stated, looking up at him and frowning.

"While they were still regressed? His older self, this Tommy, the one whose home you're in, kissed you."

"He told you about that?" Kimberly stated, blushing a bit.

"Back then," Billy confirmed. "The next day. He needed someone to talk to," he explained. "You know what it means right?"

"Yeah," Kimberly stated with a nod.

"And how do you feel?" Billy asked her.

"I don't know," she replied. "It's too early to think about it," she added with a slight laugh.

"You need to," Billy told her simply, patting her hand. "It'll make everything a whole lot easier if you two just talk about how you're feeling," he added in, just as the doorbell rang.

"Who's that?" Kimberly stated, frowning, as Billy stood up to answer the door.

"Tommy asked a friend to come over and help with the whole getting you into your hotel room thing," Billy stated as Kimberly followed him out into the foyer. She leaned against the door frame of the kitchen, her frown deepening. If memory served her right, there was only one other person that Tommy would have felt comfortable going to for help, especially when it came to ranger things.

"Hey," Billy told the person at door. "Tommy told me you had a plan."

"Yeah," the individual stated, as Billy let her into the house. "But I'm going to need help from you and your friends. Oh," she added, her eyes falling on Kimberly as Billy shut the door behind her. "Hi. Glad to see you're ok."

Kimberly raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest, and looking at Billy.

"Kim, this is," he began, a hesitant smile on his face, trying to dissipate the tension.

"We've met," Kimberly stated, exhaling sharply and shaking her head, trying to remind herself that although she'd lied, Haley stopping her from finding Tommy for the last three years was actually a blessing in disguise. It had prevented them from changing history.

"Yeah," Haley stated simply, with a nod.

"Alright," Billy stated slowly. Maybe Tommy was right and he was going to need back up.

"I am glad you're ok," Haley stressed, and Kimberly sighed and nodded, uncrossing her arms. Kim didn't like her much, but she knew the reason Haley didn't like her. Tommy would have told Haley about the letter, that was clear. However, she also knew that her words were sincere. No good person would want any other person to be at Mesogog's mercy, and Tommy wouldn't have associated himself with anyone who wasn't deep down a good person.

"Thanks," she replied simply. "Billy told me why you're here. I guess, thanks for that, too."

"Don't thank me yet," Haley told her with a quick nod. Apparently they had silently agreed to get along for the sake of their mutual friend. Aware that the two women weren't going to have it out with him there, Billy sighed with relief. "I haven't succeeded yet," Haley continued. "Will your friends help?"

"Aisha and the others?" Kimberly asked. "Absolutely."

"Good," Haley stated. "I'll let you know when to call them. I'm going to need to computers downstairs," she added, and Billy nodded, gesturing to tell her to lead the way.

"You've more right to them than me," he stated with a laugh. Haley smiled and led the way downstairs, Billy and Kimberly following her. Haley went straight to the computers, Billy behind her. Kim took a bit longer, examining her surroundings. She hadn't really taken the time the day before to look around, but she definitely now appreciated the effort Tommy had taken to make the place feel a particular way. She couldn't put her finger on the exact feeling, but she definitely felt a home there. Similar to how she'd felt whenever they were in the command center. "So, what's the plan?"

"Well, it's not really all that complicated," Haley stated, as she started typing. "Just going to hack the hotel's computer system for a moment to get a key to Kim's room."

"You're going to hack a computer system?" Kimberly laughed. "Ok, well, now I know why Billy couldn't do it."

"I resent that," Billy stated, glaring at her playfully.

"Face it Billy," Kimberly told him, "Genius you are, but you don't have a bone in your body capable of computer hacking." Billy just grinned and nodded his head in reply.

"I'll be into the system in just a moment. You think you can call Aisha and see if one of them could go downstairs to the lobby and request a new key for their room," she stated. "I don't know, pretend they got locked out or something. They just have to be a little distracting while they do it."

"No problem," Kimberly replied, picking up the hand set for the phone that Billy had used the day before to let Tommy know that Kim was awake. She glanced up to watch Haley after she dialed Aisha's cell phone, noticing she had pulled up a surveillance camera in the hotel lobby, while on the other screen she saw the hotel's room system. She waited a couple of moments for the phone to ring.

"Tommy?" Rocky asked answering the phone, confusion in his voice.

"No," Kimberly laughed, "he went to work."

"Oh, hey Kim," Rocky replied. "What's up?"

"Tommy's friend Haley is here. She's helping me get back into my hotel room. We needed Aisha's help."

"She's in the shower," Rocky replied, "But can I help? If not, I can go down the hall and get Tanya."

"Think you can go down to the lobby and request another key for your room? You'll need to distract the desk clerk as well."

"Oh, I think we can handle that," Rocky replied, and Kimberly heard Katie's giggles on the other end of the line.

"Kimberly," Haley stated, "he'll need to ask for the key for your room. I'm going to change the rooms around until he has the key," Haley told her. Kimberly nodded.

"Rocky, Haley says you need to tell them my room number instead of your own. It's seven twelve," she stated.

"Got it," Rocky replied. "Should I stay on the line?" he asked.

"Probably be a good idea," Kim told him, sitting down on one of the sofas. "We'll be able to see you on the cameras in the lobby, but just in case."

"No problem," he replied. "Just give me a second," he added in. Kim smiled and nodded, even though she knew he couldn't see her. "Hey Aisha," she heard him call. "I'm running down to the lobby with Katie to help Kim, Billy, and Haley get access to Kim's room. Luke's napping." She didn't hear the reply, but assumed all was good, as a moment later, Rocky told her he was heading down to the lobby. A few minutes later the elevators in the lobby opened, and the three in the dino thunder command post watched as Rocky, holding Katie in one arm, and his phone to his ear with the other made his way to the counter where a man in a tie was standing.

"Hey," Rocky stated placing Katie on top of the counter, and pulling the phone away from his ear for a moment. "I was hoping you could help me," he told the hotel employee.

"Of course sir," the clerk replied.

"I wasn't thinking this morning, and I accidentally left the room key on the nightstand," Rocky told him. "I was hoping we could just get another one."

"That won't be a problem, sir. If you have your ID with you," the clerk added. Rocky nodded, and let go of Katie and set the phone down just out of her reach and reached into his back pocket, pulling out his wallet. He pulled the ID out and handed it to the man, picking the phone back up immediately. "Thank you Mr. DeSantos," he added in, typing the name into the computer.

"He's going to need to distract him," Haley called urgently. "If he sees the actual room number before I can change it, this won't work."

"Rocky, distract him," Kim ordered, and Rocky blinked for a moment.

"Have you ever seen anything like this," he suddenly said, grabbing Katie's arm and thrusting it towards the man's face while he worked. "I mean I haven't," he added in. The man looked disgusted and disgruntled as he finished typing, and turned his eyes immediately toward Rocky. "She's had this strange red rash on her arm for a week, and it just won't go away."

"I don't know what to tell you sir," the employee stated. "I'm not a doctor," he added, completely missing the flash warning on his computer screen that tried to alert him to the fact that someone else had the capability of changing things.

"I'm in," Haley stated. "Get him to keep talking just a moment longer."

"Rocky, keep going," Kim told him, trying not to laugh. There was something insanely strange about hacking into a computer system while using 'crazy dad talk' as the distraction.

"I know but, you probably see hundreds of kids coming and going through here all the time. I was just thinking maybe you'd seen it before," Rocky stated, still imprisoning Katie's arm. The two year old was beginning to get slightly frustrated, and she began to hit his shoulder with her other hand, and kick her legs, whining. The desk clerk rolled his eyes in response, missing the momentary movement of a cursor as the room assigned to Rocky and Aisha DeSantos changed from 431 to 712.

"I assure you, I have not," the employee stated, still trying to be polite. "Just to confirm," he added, "can you tell me your room number."

"It's seven twelve," Rocky rattled off without a moment's hesitation. The clerk nodded and grabbed a blank key, running it through the machine off to his side. A few swipes later, he picked up Rocky's ID and handed them both back to Rocky.

"Just gotta change things back," Haley stated.

"Just a bit longer Rocky," Kim passed the message on.

"Katie," Rocky stated, "Can you say thank you to the nice man," he told his daughter. Katie looked at the employee, who, although irritated, didn't want to be rude, made eye contact with the toddler.

"Fank you," she stated, flapping both of her hands up and down slightly. While the clerk was distracted, Haley changed the room number back, and closed out of the account so he wouldn't notice it later. She hoped he'd just assume he closed it himself.

"I'm out," Haley laughed, turning in her chair to face Billy who'd watched the entire thing with a puzzled look on his face.

"Alright Rocky, you're good to go. Thanks again," Kim told him, as Rocky carried Katie away from the front counter and back toward the elevators.

"No problem. I'm assuming you'll want us to bring you some stuff this afternoon?"

"That would be great," Kimberly laughed.

"I'll have Aisha call you at Tommy's before we get ready to head out," he told her.

"Thanks Rocky, Bye."

"Later, Kimmy," he replied and ended the call.

"Well," Kimberly laughed, "that went surprisingly smooth."

"I just watched someone hack into a computer system," Billy stated, shaking his head. "I'm a criminal."

"Think of it this way Billy," Kimberly replied, "You're entitled to a bit of evil after all the good you've done for the world."

"And it wasn't that evil," Haley told him. "Consider it helping a teammate in need."

"I greatly appreciate it," Kimberly laughed, and Billy just shook his head at both women.

* * *

Due to the fact that all of his classes had been cut short that day to accommodate the early release time, Tommy was more than slightly off on his internal clock. Therefore, when the bell rang to release the students from class at noon that day, he just barely remembered to remind them once again of the discussion questions that they had due for homework the following day.

"See ya Dr. O," Connor called almost the moment the shrill sound of the bell had ended. Just like all the other students in the class, he had his belongings packed up well before the dismal signal. However, unlike most of the other student in the class, he wasn't just looking forward to an extra-long afternoon off class. Tommy rolled his eyes and gave the boy a wave, registering that Connor wasn't alone in his rush, as three other teenagers followed him out.

Surprisingly, for the first time all week, Tommy wasn't as anxious to leave work as the teenagers were to leave class. Instead, he found himself being more hesitant. Billy hadn't called, so he assumed things had at least gone well enough that both Kimberly and Haley were still alive after that morning. He'd texted Haley and thanked her, inviting her to the barbeque that afternoon. Her response had been a brief "you're welcome" followed by a polite refusal of the invitation, citing work as an excuse. He was glad she was willing to play nice for his sake, but he'd hoped both could overcome things. Apparently, it was going to take more than one morning without him there.

Once he'd packed up his belongings into his briefcase, Tommy slung the bag over his shoulder and made his way out of the classroom and towards the exit of the school. He expected to find his four teammates gone, rushing to get to his house and reunite with their friends. They'd been right about being more sore the day after, but that hadn't dissuaded them. As a result, he didn't expect to find the four of them standing just outside the school doors under the cover of the awning, glaring at the torrential rain that had begun to fall.

"Come on you four," Tommy told them, laughing as he came up behind them. "No use pouting over it."

"But rain," Ethan complained. Tommy shook his head and walked passed him, before breaking into a sprint for his jeep as soon as he was out from underneath the awning. Watching him spurred the teenagers into action, and they all took off running for their own cars.

Tommy wasn't surprised that they all pulled up to his house at the same time, finding Rocky and Aisha's minivan already in the gravel drive way. Tommy pulled his jeep in and put it in park, while Connor and Trent parked their own vehicles. The rain was still coming down in sheets. He watched as the teenagers darted from the cars to the covered entry way and then disappeared into the house. He sighed, and followed, knowing exactly what was waiting for him inside, or rather who was waiting for him inside.

Realizing the teenagers would tell the others that he was, in fact, sitting in the drive way, and that his friends would either come looking for him, or come up with theories (possibly correct ones) for why he hadn't come in the house yet, Tommy sighed and reluctantly jumped from his jeep and made the mad dash to the porch, before entering the house.

"Hey guys," he called out the moment he walked in, hoping to avoid any suspicion his short lived absence had caused. He walked into the living room where most of the noise was coming from. Billy, Kimberly, Aisha, Tanya, Ethan, and Kira were all in the room. The back sliding door was cracked open, so he could hear the laughter that was coming from Rocky, Adam, Trent, and Connor, who were using the grill, which was placed just out from under the covered patio. Rocky stood at the grill, spatula in one hand, umbrella in the other. Tommy wasn't certain that was the smartest idea his friend had ever had.

"Hi!" Katie called back to him from her seat on the floor in the living room. She was sitting beside Kimberly who was reading her a picture book. Tommy let his gaze unwilling fall to Kimberly, who was actually dressed in her own clothing – a white skirt that went to her knees and a loose fitting pale pink halter top made of some satiny material he didn't know the name of. She was barefoot. And despite what he had thought yesterday, he was even more disconcerted to see her now than he'd been when her curves had been completely covered by his clothing. And he couldn't stop himself from thinking about how absolutely stunning she was. She grinned up at him, brushing her hair out of her face from where it had slipped out while she was reading. Tommy blanked on a reaction.

"Hey Dr. O," Ethan greeted him, sparing the poor guy. His other friends shot quick irritated looks at Ethan, which went unnoticed by the current blue ranger but not by Kira, Tommy, nor Kimberly. Kira looked slightly confused, while Kimberly blushed and looked away from Tommy. Tommy fought his own blush and looked around at everyone else.

"So, I take it that you all just make yourselves at home here now?" he asked, no one in particular.

"We've always just made ourselves at home," Kira replied.

"We learned from them," Aisha added in, jerking her finger at Kira and Ethan, causing everyone to laugh. Tommy scowled at them and then looked out the back window.

"You know he's probably going to set himself on fire doing that," Tommy told Aisha, indicating Rocky and the umbrella. Aisha followed his gaze, taking her eyes off of Luke, who was on the floor near her on his back, kicking his legs and arms and cooing. She watched Rocky for a moment, not surprised when a burst of light, indicating fire, went up in front of him, to the cheers of the four outside.

"I know," Aisha stated reluctantly. "But he had his heart set on a barbeque. We couldn't persuade him that the weather didn't want to cooperate with his plan."

"Why?" Tommy asked, watching and praying that if he did set himself on fire, Rocky didn't take them and the house with him.

"Don't know," Billy replied. "He just kept insisting that a barbeque was how normal people reunited."

Tommy snorted a laugh and shook his head, walking through the living room and going out on the porch. He wanted to make sure his house was safe with Rocky manning the grill, and of course there was the added bonus of getting him out of the room that Kimberly occupied.

"Tommy's home!" Rocky cheered as his friend walked out onto the porch. He may have been holding a spatula and an umbrella, but it was clear that the half-finished bottle of beer on the small side table was his. Adam stood nearby, an open beer in his own hand, though it was still mostly full. Adam grinned and reached down into the cooler, handing a third bottle to Tommy, who gave him a nod of thanks.

"How many of those has he had?" Tommy asked Adam who shrugged slightly.

"I admit I should probably have been watching him a bit closer," Adam confessed with a slight smirk. Tommy laughed and shook his head. He glanced at Connor and Trent who were now eyeing the cooler.

"Don't even think about it," Tommy told the two boys, who returned his gaze with looks that screamed pure innocence, although the current black ranger knew better. Tommy rolled his eyes and looked back at Rocky. "Rocko, please don't set my house on fire."

"No promises," Rocky replied, flipping a few of the burgers, before setting the spatula down and taking a sip of his beer.

"How was work?" Adam asked Tommy, who shrugged in response.

"It was work. Cranky teenagers who don't want to learn anything."

"We resent that," Connor replied.

"I want to learn quite a bit, thank you," Trent added in. "School just doesn't teach any of it."

"Were we ever like them?" Rocky asked his two friends, a grin on his face.

"No," Tommy and Adam stated at the exact same time that Connor and Trent replied "Yes". All five started laughing.

"What time did you all get here?" Tommy asked his two friends after the laughter had died out a bit.

"Around eleven," Adam replied. "We swung by the grocery store and picked up food."

"What's my cut?" Tommy asked, fishing his wallet out of his back pocket.

"Between all of us," Adam told him "twenty bucks," he stated. Tommy nodded and pulled the bill out of his wallet, handing it over to his friend. Adam took it and put it away, while Tommy put his own wallet back in his pocket. "So," he stated, "still avoiding Kimberly?"

"I am not avoiding her," Tommy retorted, although Adam and Rocky just gave him looks in return that said they didn't believe him. "Can't a guy just come and hang out outside with his friends and have a beer?"

"Most can, yes," Rocky told him. "You're not most."

"You haven't seen her in almost a decade, and you're hanging out here with us. You've seen us every day since Sunday, so don't even try that argument," Adam cut off his reply. "Go back inside."

"But I've…," he paused trying to come up with an excuse. "I've got to make sure Connor and Trent don't get into the cooler."

"Dude," Connor retorted, glaring at Tommy for using him as an excuse, "we're not five!"

"Yeah," Trent stated. "We know there no underage drinking."

"Besides," Adam added in, "Rocky and I are perfectly capable of preventing them from drinking alcohol," he added.

"Well," Rocky amended, "Adam is. I don't want to be held responsible for any mishaps. But you should still go." He made a shooing motion with his hand. Tommy raised his eyebrow at him, but both Adam and Rocky gave him looks that said they weren't backing down. So, rather than fight it, Tommy sighed, slumped his shoulders and went back inside the house.

"You're back," Tanya stated, as he walked around and fell into a seat on the sofa, the beer that he'd opened, but hadn't taken a sip of, in his hands. He leaned back, legs open with the beer between them clasped in his hands and nodded.

"They kicked me out," he pouted, with a bit of a laugh.

"Poor Tommy," Kimberly giggled. "Adam and Rocky want to hang out with their new friends instead of you." She pushed herself off the ground, keeping her ankles crossed and took a seat beside him, which caused Tommy to have to suppress the urge to allow his muscles to tense up. He wasn't comfortable with her being so near.

"Now you're just being cruel," he laughed, shifting his body so he could face her, but lean away. Kimberly laughed and shook her head at him. "How'd this morning go? I take it you were able to get back into your room."

"Oh," Kimberly stated with a nod. "Yeah," she added. "It went perfectly."

"What do you mean perfectly? I was privy to illegal activity," Billy glared at her. Kimberly grinned back at him, and Billy scowled, while Tommy looked back and forth.

"Haley hacked the hotel computers?" Tommy asked both of them. Both former rangers nodded, one looking less than pleased about the fact.

"Rocky was the distraction," Kim stated. "And Aisha brought me what I needed," she added in. Aisha nodded, grinning up at him.

"The perfect team effort," Tommy laughed with a nod of his own. "I'm glad it went well. Just hope Billy's not scarred for life."

"You didn't tell me that she was going to do something illegal!" Billy protested.

"I didn't know," Tommy laughed.

"Come on Dr. O," Kira added in, a hint of amusement in her tone, "you had to have some idea of what Haley would do when you involved her in a plan."

"Yeah well," Tommy replied, reluctantly shrugging his shoulders. Billy turned his scowl on his friend.

"You're all against me," Billy pouted.

"Oh calm down," Tanya laughed. "Even if they traced it back to you," she added. "It's not like they could prosecute you or anything. You don't even live on this planet!"

"She has a point," Ethan told his older color counterpart. Billy sighed and shook his head. He wasn't going to win that argument.

"Lunch is ready!" Rocky's voice interrupted, as the final four of the group came in carrying a platter of burgers and hot dogs. "Assemble your own meal in the kitchen," he added.

The group of rangers, joking and laughing as they went, proceeded into the kitchen where those who'd been at Tommy's home most of the morning had assembled all the sides and condiments. Eventually, the group of eleven adults and two children had migrated back into the living room with their meals.

"Sorry your idea of a barbeque got rained out, Rocky," Kira told him, popping a potato chip into her mouth.

"No worries Kira," Rocky replied. "It was more the memory reliving part I wanted than the whole playing around outside idea," he added, and Kira nodded understanding.

"Speaking of memories," Aisha giggled, pulling the diaper bag closer and fishing through the pockets until she came back with a piece of paper. "I meant to show this to you guys," she added to Kimberly and Kira who were seated beside each other on the sofa. She handed it to both women.

"Wow," Kimberly laughed. "That's just weird," she added, and Kira grinned as she took the photograph.

"What is it?" Tommy asked.

"The three of us at seventeen years old," Kimberly told him, as Kira passed him the photograph.

"The night of the dance," Aisha stated, "My mom took it. But up until Sunday, I could have sworn only Kim and I were in it."

"Well, that just proves the memory device did it job," Billy laughed.

Tommy was still studying the photograph. He looked at Aisha, Kim, and Kira in the living room, and then back down at their three faces. Kira looked exactly the same, while the other two were noticeably younger than they were now. He understood what Kim meant by weird. He remembered that night. He'd danced with Kim almost the whole night, except for during the one slow song when he had danced with… Kira.

"Oh god," he breathed out. "Not again," he added, handing the picture back to Aisha, his face paling slightly.

"What's he remembering this time?" Tanya asked the group with a laugh. Everyone in the room except for Kira shrugged. Kira laughed slightly.

"You know what I think you do?" Kira asked Tommy who was now holding his head in his hands.

"You find my misery amusing," Tommy replied to her, and Kira nodded.

"I wouldn't have said anything," she told him, "but you've got them all wondering. You want to tell, or should I?"

"Someone had better tell us," Adam laughed.

Tommy sighed and nodded, looking up and meeting everyone's eyes except Trent's. "I kinda gave Kira a slight kiss on the cheek after our dance that night."

"You kissed my girlfriend?" Trent asked in an extremely calm, slow voice. Tommy would have much rather that he yelled. Quiet Trent could often be a bit scary.

"As a friend, I swear!" he told the boy. Kira leaned back into her boyfriend who was sitting on the back of the couch and grabbed his arm, kissing the palm of his hand. Trent looked down at her, and she gave him a sweet smile in return. He sighed and shook his head, letting it go.

"Knew I couldn't have been the only one to get kissed that night," Connor laughed, highly amused by the situation.

"Dude," Ethan reminded him, "I know Rocky promised not to hurt you, but I'm pretty sure he can change his mind," he stated.

"And he's got active powers," Trent reminded him. Connor cast a look at Rocky who was looking at him with a steady gaze.

"Wait?" Kimberly asked. "Connor kissed Aisha that night?" she blinked, not waiting for a response. "Well, that answers what was bothering Rocky," she added in.

"Don't remind me please," Rocky stated, holding up an almost empty bottle of beer. "The alcohol is making killing him seem like a good idea."

"Ok," Aisha stated, "moving on as I would rather not have to bail my husband out of jail for assault."

"Alright," Kimberly laughed. "How about the time we ended up taking Adam shopping instead of Kira?"

"I thought we agreed never to discuss that day again," Adam groaned.

"We did?" Kimberly asked, innocently.

"She wasn't here," Ethan laughed at Adam who was glaring at her. Adam turned his head away from Kim and looked at Ethan. "What? It's true."

"Oh come on," Kimberly giggled. "In hindsight, it's kind of hysterical."

"I despise you," Adam mumbled, scowling at her.

"You do not," she laughed.

The group spent the rest of lunch laughing back and forth, exchanging memories, and filling Tanya in on bits and pieces that Aisha, Rocky, and Adam hadn't remembered when they told her about the adventure during the drive from Angel Grove on Sunday morning. There were plenty of blushes to go around, especially when Billy brought up the game of tag the age regressed rangers had part taken in the day they'd been hit by the beam from the clock. That memory was even more disconcerting for Tommy as he now remembered being part of it in two different ways.

Lunch was slowly finished up, and Kim agreed to help Aisha put the two children down for a nap in the spare room. Tommy stood up and stretched as they left the room, glancing outside at the rain which was still coming down steadily. "Anyone up for a work out?" he asked the remainder of the group in the living room.

"In this?" Trent frowned at him.

"Downstairs," Tommy told him, rolling his eyes at the teenager.

"Aren't you sore?" Connor asked him, narrowing his own gaze.

"A little," Tommy conceded.

"Good," Rocky stated. "Gives me another chance to beat you," he added in, jumping to his feet from his seat on the floor.

"I'm in," Adam added with a nod.

"I'll come watch," Kira put in, "but I'm not going to lie. I hurt," she laughed, her three teenage teammates nodded agreement.

"Why don't we all just go down?" Billy stated, and the group laughed and nodded.

"I'll tell Kim and Aisha and meet you there," Tanya told them, leaning up to give Adam a kiss on the cheek, before wandering down the hall. Tommy smirked at him before leading everyone downstairs.

"Who's up first?" Adam asked when they got down to the command area. Tommy and the teenagers moved stuff around to give the group a wider sparing area.

"I meant it," Rocky laughed. "I need to beat Tommy again," he added.

"You only beat me last time because I was distracted," Tommy replied.

"By what?" Rocky laughed. "Kira, Trent, Connor, and Aisha were sitting at the table drinking smoothies," he stated frowning. "The only other people there were Adam, Kim, and ...oh!"

"Yeah," Tommy stated, frowning. "I was jealous of myself," he added as an afterthought, glancing back up at his friends. "That makes absolutely no sense," he stated.

"No kidding," Adam laughed at him, shaking his head as he thought about what Tommy was saying. "Ok, man, you officially win."

"Win what?" Tommy laughed, moving into the center area they'd cleared out, Rocky taking a position across from him.

"This whole time travel thing has been strange for us," Adam stated. "I mean, based on our memories, they're supposed to be the same age as us," he added, indicating the teenagers. "But you've got two versions of the same events in your head. You officially win the weirdness contest."

"Yeah," Tommy retorted, stretching out his muscles, "cause that's the contest I wanted to win. Realizing I was distracted watching myself become aroused by Kimberly."

"Dude," Connor told him, "too much information," he shouted, his face contorting into disgust. Kira, Ethan, and Trent's faces mirrored his.

"Shut up," Billy suddenly told Connor, frowning at Tommy. He cast a quick glance at both Rocky and Adam, checking to see if they figured out what he did.

"What?" the teenager stated, taken about by Billy's sudden hostility towards him. Billy, Rocky, and Adam ignored him.

"You just said what I think you did," Billy stated.

"No I didn't," Tommy argued, blushing.

"Yes you did," Billy added. "First you admit to kissing her," he stated.

"He did what?" Adam and Rocky stated. "When did he kiss her?" Adam added on his own.

"While they were all regressed. This Tommy kissed seventeen year old Kim," Billy informed them and then turned his attention to Tommy. "And now you're admitting that this," he stated, gesturing to Tommy's body, "version of you was aroused by Kimberly."

"Stop reminding me I'm a pedophile Billy," Tommy glared at him. Really, his distaste for the direction of the conversation had absolutely nothing to do with the idea of him being a pedophile. In reality, in both situations, he'd been physically a teenager. Mentally however, he was his twenty seven year old self, and his friends knew that. There lay the problem. They'd just figured out that he was hiding feelings for Kimberly. And in that moment, he finally admitted it to himself.

"Hey guys," Kimberly's voice bounced off the walls of cave and then reverberated inside his skull, drawing his attention off of Billy and onto the girl who was leading Aisha and Tanya into the room. "Thought you would have started by now?"

The guys all paused for a moment, Billy casting a look at the four teenagers who all shared the same confused look. They didn't quite understand Billy's revelation, but they understood his look to keep their mouths shut. Adam ran his hand through his hair, glancing at the fact that Tommy was once again staring at Kim. Rocky let an easy smile play over his face before the three women got suspicious.

"Waiting for you three," Rocky stated simply, "I wanted Aisha to watch me kick Tommy's ass."

"You wish," Tommy stated, driven from his stupor by Rocky's words. He tried to convey his thanks in the look he gave his former second in command.

"Well," Aisha laughed, "get on with it then," she added, falling into a seat on one of the sofas, as the tension in the room dissipated.

Over the next hour or so, the group sparred against each other. Rocky actually did succeed in beating Tommy, but he had a suspicion it may have just been his former leader's way of thanking him for not outing his feelings for Kim. Following their match, the group had then rotated through partners; even Billy got in on it a bit, although he only agreed to face off with Ethan once the teenagers agreed to partake. Rocky also managed to redeem himself against Kira, which caused everyone to laugh, seeing as the first time they'd gone at it, Rocky had lost. Kira assured him he'd only won because he'd now had nearly ten more years of training, and of course there was a distinctive size difference.

Adam and Tommy were facing off when Kimberly had decided to wander around the cave, taking everything in. She gave the two men a wide berth, as she walked the perimeter, dragging her hand across the wall, as she examined everything, pushing the guy's shouts out of her head. It had been a while since she'd done that, but drowning them out so she could focus on her thoughts came easily. She wouldn't admit that she wasn't comfortable watching the sparring, considering Tommy had removed his shirt. She made her way over to the cluttered desk, allowing herself to run her hand along its surface, taking in everything he had on it. She picked up a framed photograph of the original six rangers, Tommy in white, morphed with helmets off, standing in the command center. It made her smile, as she ran her fingers over the glass, and then set it down again, her eyes filtering over the haphazardly strewn papers across the desk. An envelope on top caught her attention, and frowning, she picked it up to examine in closer. Her eyes shot open as she recognized the handwriting of the front as her own. She blinked a few times, and then pulled the letter that was inside out. She let her eyes skim over the words she remembered writing, and pulled back tears. She didn't understand why he still had it. It made her sad and angry all at the same time. Billy was right. They needed to talk. And she wanted answers now. Turning, letter clutched in one hand, envelope in the other, Kimberly stalked towards the two sparring individuals, charging straight at them, no concern for her own safety. She stopped between them, and Tommy managed to stop mid punch, although Adam still dropped instinctively into a crouch before he realized Kimberly was blocking his view of his opponent. He slowly stood up, glancing back and forth between Tommy and Kimberly. The former looked confused, the latter looked about ready to start sobbing. She held up the letter, and glared at Tommy.

"Why do you still have this?"


	42. Chapter 42

Hey Everyone, Sorry for the lack of a Sunday chapter. I went out of town for the day. But the good news is, I'm on Spring break this week. So, lots of time to write, meaning the distinct possibility of several chapters being posted over the course of the week. Anyway, I know a lot of you have been waiting for this conversation to take place, so here's my spin. Hope you like.

Fateless

* * *

"You know," Aisha stated suddenly, sensing the hostility in Kimberly's voice, "I think I hear Luke and Katie up from their naps. I'd better go check on them. Rocky, come with me," she added, jumping off the couch and dashing towards the stairs.

"Right behind you," Rocky stated without hesitation. Tommy's eyes flickered from Kimberly in front of him, to the backs of his friends as they retreated.

"Wai.." he tried to call out but was cut off by Adam.

"I think we left the grill on, better go check," he stated, rushing to follow his friends. He knew better than to stick around, despite the pleading in Tommy's eyes. Kim's expression told him that everyone else needed to get lost.

"It's a two person job," Tanya added in. "Without me, he won't do it right," she clarified, leaving Tommy frowning as two more of his friends bailed on him. He cast his glance over at Billy and the teenagers.

"Homework," Kira stated, not entirely sure what was happening, but taking her cues from the older rangers. She pushed herself off the sofa.

"Yeah, homework," Ethan agreed, and Trent nodded following her.

"We have all evening to get our homework done," Connor stated, frowning. Kimberly shot him a glare, and he blinked.

"Connor, you're better off doing it now, with us to help you," Trent stressed the word help, grabbing Connor by the arm and dragging him after the other three teenagers up the stairs.

"I think now would be the perfect time to call my dad," Billy stated simply, getting a glare from Tommy as he realized that they were all abandoning him. Billy shook his head and patted Tommy on the shoulder as he walked past them. He turned back to the last two people in the room when he reached the bottom of the stairs. "You two need this talk," he stated simply, nodded to them, and disappeared up the stairs.

Feeling completely and totally abandoned and betrayed, Tommy watched them each go. He then let his eyes linger on anything and everything he could, before dropping his gaze to the floor. He would do anything to avoid making eye contact with Kimberly, or looking at what he knew was in her hand. He didn't have to read it to guess what she'd found. They were both silent, the only sounds coming from her normal breathing, and his deeper breathing - the result of his match with Adam.

"Why do you still have this?" Kimberly repeated, finally breaking the silence they'd fallen into. Tommy reluctantly took his eyes off of his feet and looked up at her. He hadn't expected to see the tears in her eyes. Not knowing what to say, he simply shrugged his shoulders. She didn't change her gaze which was both questioning and defiant. He sighed, and ran his hand over the back of his neck. He was cursing himself for not filing the damn letter back away once Billy had finished with it Tuesday night.

"I don't know," he finally told her, although that didn't seem to satisfy her. "Kim," he began, "do we really have to do this?"

"Yes," she stated. "I know it, the group of former power rangers upstairs knows it, and deep down, so do you. We need to talk about it."

Tommy scowled at her for a minute, before snatching the letter out of her hand, and skimming it. Not that he needed to. He remembered every word exactly as it was etched, in her hand writing, across the paper. "What's there to talk about?" he stated. "You found someone else. You were in love. You figured I'd really like him," he spat at her not liking that she ordered him around or that she was actually right, walking away and sitting down in his chair behind his desk. There was no other seat nearby. She couldn't make him more uncomfortable by sitting next to him. "It's no big deal. We were in high school. Like I told you back then, high school relationships don't always last."

"If it's no big deal," Kimberly actually yelled at him. His attitude towards it causing the tears she'd been holding back to cascade down her face. "Why do you still have it?"

Silence over took them again. He still didn't have an answer to give her. She could have been yelling at the volume of Kira's ptera scream, and he still didn't think he'd be able to explain. He didn't know how to put it into words.

"Who was he?" Tommy yelled back, trying not to think about the last time he'd seen her cry. It just reminded him of what he'd done to stop her tears, and now was not the time for that behavior. He didn't look at her, afraid of what his reaction would be. If she could raise her voice, so could he.

"Who was who?" Kimberly asked, angry that he had ignored her question and evaded answering it again.

"Don't play dumb Kimberly. The guy you left me for. Who was he?" Now it was his turn to be angry. She was standing there, crying because he'd kept a letter she'd written him to break up with him. How was he the bad guy in that? What gave her the right to act like the wounded party? His heart was the one that had been broken. He glared at her now. And she just glared back, silence over taking both of them as they entered a battle of wills, each one withholding information from the other. Finally, Kimberly broke their staring contest, turning her head away and casting her gaze to the floor. Her hair moved over her face, hiding it from his view, as she slumped her shoulders.

"There was no one," she stated, and Tommy's mouth fell open slightly as he blinked, trying to take in her response. Of all the explanations, the fact that she'd made up someone was not one he expected. He couldn't decide if that made it better or worse.

"Then wh.." he began to question her, and Kimberly snapped her head back up to look at him, her eyes brimming with new tears.

"You're not the only one who can cut ties in order to protect people!" she yelled at him. "You stupid idiot," she added, meeting his gaze. Tommy was frowning at her as if he didn't quite understand the language she was speaking. "We haven't seen each other in years, and monsters are still kidnapping me and using me against you. How much worse would it have been if I'd stayed your girlfriend? It was only a matter of time before the machine empire found a way to use me against you and the other zeo rangers. If we stayed together; If King Mondo knew you'd loved me! Tommy, I was seventeen and powerless. I couldn't protect myself. And that put you in danger. I had to end us." By the time she'd finished, she was crying.

"You thought you were protecting me?" Tommy stated slowly, as if letting the idea sink into his very bones. Kimberly hiccupped and nodded, her gaze dropping back down to the floor of the cave. "Then why come back?" Kimberly knew exactly what he was asking her. She shook her head and looked up. "Tell me," he told her, just as forcefully as he had the night before when she was keeping things from him.

"I'm not as strong as you," she stated. "You cut everyone out so they wouldn't get hurt, even though it hurt you. I was coming back to apologize; to tell you everything; I couldn't stand not talking to you anymore. At that point, I still loved you."

"But then Divatox did use you against me," Tommy nodded, understanding.

"Well, that," Kim replied, "and there was Kat."

"Kat?"

"Tommy, it was clear as day that you and her were an item. I'd been replaced, in more ways than just one."

Tommy didn't reply to her. Instead he just nodded. If he was truly honest with himself, he had started dating Kat as a way of getting over Kimberly. However, when the power was gone, they'd both realized there wasn't a really deep connection. He loved her, but it was in the same way he loved Aisha, and Tanya. Like a best friend or a sister. The love he had for Kat wasn't like the love he'd had for Kimberly. They'd mutually broken up and gone their separate ways, Tommy always telling himself that Kat had truly helped him move on from Kim. His trip to the past and the last few days had made him realize once and for all that he'd been wrong. Despite several girlfriends and many dates in between, he'd never moved on from Kimberly.

"Tommy," Kimberly stated slowly, having better control of her emotions. He looked up at her and met her eyes. "I was wrong to do it in a letter, but the fact is, I was right to break up with you," she stated. "Even Mesogog used me against you and we haven't seen each other in years. It's not fair to you or the other rangers. Maybe we're better off just not being in each other's lives."

"Now who's the stupid idiot," Tommy growled at her. There was no way in hell he was letting her out of his life. He'd done that once and he'd been miserable. There was no way he could do it again. Kimberly glared at him. She still hadn't left the center of the cave. Tommy sighed, and pushed himself out of the desk chair and walked towards her. "I am not letting you walk out of my life again Kimberly."

"Then you'll just get hurt," she stated. "Like you did yesterday. And what about the kids?"

"Whether you are in my life or not," Tommy argued, shaking his head. "Monsters are going to kidnap you. They're going to use you against me. Doesn't matter if we talk every day or once every new millennium," he told her. Kimberly sighed and shook her head, as he put his hands on her shoulders, forcing her body to stay facing his. "It won't change. But you know what else won't?" he asked her, and Kimberly shook her head, trying to follow his thoughts. It used to be easy. Now, she didn't know him as well. "Just as you'll always be captured; I will always save you."

"Tommy…" she stated, attempting to cut him off. Tommy shook his head.

"You asked why I still have the letter," he told her, releasing her and stepping away now that he'd made his point. "It was a big deal. I loved you," he stated. "I would do anything for you. As much as I hated every word on that piece of paper, it was the last connection I had to you. I couldn't let it go. Especially not after I lost everyone else as well. I had to have a way of keeping one of you." He walked back over to the desk where he'd dropped the letter again and placed it back in its envelope. "Besides, Billy was able to use it to track you in Mesogog's fortress, so it served a positive purpose." He then handed it to Kimberly who looked down at it and sighed. "But, you're here," he told her. "They're here. I don't need it anymore."

Kimberly gave him a small and nodded once. She gripped the letter in both hands and looked down at the envelope she'd sent to the youth center. She'd wanted him to get it as soon as possible. She'd been a stupid idiot too. With only a moment of thought, Kimberly tore the envelope in half, and then turned the pieces on each other, and ripped them again. She repeated it a few times until all that was left of the letter she'd written was confetti. Tommy offered her the waste basket from beside his desk.

"What now?" Kimberly asked him, as she let the pieces fall into the trash can. Tommy sighed and ran his hand through his hair, lost in thought.

"Friends?" he asked her. It wasn't really what he'd wanted. But he hadn't admitted the truth to her. He'd said he had loved her. She'd said she'd still loved him at the point when Divatox had kidnapped her, but neither had said that they were still in love with the other now. While he might have been ready to admit his feelings to himself, he was definitely not ready to admit them to her, at least not without some reassurance that she felt the same way.

"Do we even know how to do that?" she asked him, letting a small grin play upon her lips. Tommy smiled in return and shook his head slightly.

"Old dogs can learn new tricks," he replied to her with a shrug.

"Alright then," she told him with a nod. "Friends it is."

"Good; let's go see what the group of cowards are up to," he stated, leading his new friend up the stairs into the house.

* * *

For the first time all week, his house was relatively quiet on Friday afternoon. Relatively, because there were still way more people in it than he was normally used to. It was still slightly disconcerting. He glanced around the room, realizing that for once, no one had to sit on the floor, although Rocky still was. Or rather, he was laying on the floor on his stomach, while Katie pretended to be wrestling him to the ground. Adam was sitting on the sofa, egging Katie on. A few moments before he and Trent had been talking. The current white ranger was now laughing at the antics of the toddler. Aside from the four of them and Katie, no one else was in the room, although Billy and Haley were downstairs. Haley was showing Billy some of the tech she'd put together and getting his advice and ideas on some new projects she'd come up with. Connor was at an extended afternoon practice with the soccer team, while Ethan had a computer gaming club meeting he'd had to attend. Kira, Kim, Aisha, and Tanya had gone off to the mall with the initial intent of getting Kimberly a new cell phone, taking Luke with them, leaving Katie behind after Aisha reminded Rocky that he owed her from Monday.

"When were you guys planning to head back to Angel Grove?" Tommy asked the two men. Both of them frowned at him. "I'm not kicking you out," he defended. "Just figured you kind of had lives you might need to get back to?"

"Figured we'd stay till the end of the weekend," Adam told him. "Leave maybe Sunday afternoon or Monday morning."

"But just because we won't be here, that doesn't mean you get to drop off the face of the earth," Rocky added in, and Tommy laughed, shaking his head.

"I won't," he assured them.

"I don't know if you can be trusted," Rocky continued on, raising his eyebrow skeptically. His look was diminished as Katie climbed onto the sofa and jumped off, landing on his back. "Ooooo," he winced, as she giggled, sliding off of him. He rolled onto his back and swooped her off his feet. "Ok, no more of that for you. That one actually hurt, you little monkey," he told his daughter, who continued to giggle.

"That child definitely has way too much of Rocky in her," Tommy laughed. "And I happen to think I'm perfectly trust worthy."

"I'm with Rocky," Adam stated. "Therefore, we insist upon weekly contact. If I don't get at least one text from you a week, I'm driving back here and kicking your ass."

"As if you could," Tommy snickered, rolling his eyes slightly. Still, he nodded. He could agree to at least one text message. He'd agree to at least one phone call if they made him.

"If we steal his phone will that mean you guys will come visit more?" Trent asked the two men, ignoring the glare Tommy was giving him. Adam and Rocky laughed.

"We'll definitely come visit," Rocky stated. "And once school's out, you guys should come back to Angel Grove. See what's changed."

"Definitely," Trent replied with a nod, which was interrupted by Tommy's communicator going off. Trent glared at it. "Seriously? Mesogog must have taken our request of one day seriously."

Tommy sighed and nodded lifting it to his lips. "What?" he asked, irritated. He desperately wanted some time off.

"Gee… don't be so grumpy. I didn't feel like shouting," Haley's voice came through, and Trent and Tommy both visually relaxed slightly.

"No monster rampaging through Reefside?" Trent asked.

"No one's been kidnapped?" Tommy stated.

"No, and no," Haley told them. "But I did pick up some unusual readings. I'd like Tommy to come down and have a look at them."

"Be right there," Tommy replied, standing up. Trent and Adam both started to followed him.

"I'll be down soon," Rocky told them, "gotta get someone some juice and see if she'll go down for a nap. She didn't take one this morning."

"No nap!" Katie protested.

"Juice first?" Rocky asked her, placing her on the floor beside him as he stood up and peered down at her. Katie paused, thinking it over.

"Juice," she stated determined. "Want Uncky Ranger nap!" she added, dashing over to Adam and grabbing hold of his fingertips. "Peas?" she added, tipping her head up to him and pouting

Adam sighed and nodded, mostly for Rocky's sake. "I'll get Katie to nap," he stated, both amused and reluctant at the same time.

"Good luck frog boy," Rocky patted his shoulder and then followed Tommy and Trent downstairs.

"What's up Haley?" Tommy asked at the three of them entered to find Haley sitting at a computer screen with a bunch of energy readouts displayed on it. Above that screen was another monitor showing a large rock out in the forest that was glowing red intermittently. Billy had a few sheets of paper in his hand and he was frowning at them.

"Routine scanners picked up a weird energy signal in the woods. So I decided to investigate."

"Could it be another gem?" Trent asked. Thus far there were only five rangers, the smallest complete team to date, if he remembered correctly. Haley and Billy both shrugged.

"The signatures of each of your gems are so different," Haley stated, "I'm hesitant to say either way, but maybe."

"We should go investigate it either way," Tommy confirmed, and Haley nodded. That's exactly what she'd been thinking and why she'd called him down there.

"Should we call the others?" Trent asked him, and Tommy shook his head no.

"No," he added, "But we need to be careful. It could be a trap, and even if it's not, these signatures are really bizarre. I'm definitely doubtful that it's another dino gem."

"I'll go with you," Rocky told them, and Tommy nodded.

"Haley, how far is it?"

"Not far," she stated, handing him a small hand held device. "This will help you track the energy signature."

"Thanks," Tommy stated. "Tell Adam we couldn't wait for him to put Katie down for a nap," he told Billy with a smirk. Billy nodded, laughing slightly.

Trent had gone to one of the shelves in the room and grabbed three back packs with water and other survival gear. They never knew what would happen when they went out into the woods, so their theory was to always be prepared. Trent put one on himself, and then handed one to Rocky.

"Ok," Tommy stated to both Trent and Rocky, as he accepted the third book bag from Trent, "let's go."

They nodded and followed him out the underground entrance and into the woods that surrounded Tommy's home, following the steadily beeping signal from the device that Tommy carried. They'd been walking in silence for about thirty minutes before Rocky paused and looked around. "Do you hear that?" he asked.

"I don't hear anything," Trent replied.

"That's the point. We don't hear anything. Last time I checked, the woods are filled with hundreds of animals that all make some kind of noise, and yet, it's silent," Rocky explained, frowning.

"I don't like it," Tommy acknowledged what Rocky was saying, frowning and scanning the area.

"What's the signal say?" Trent asked him.

"The rock should be just up ahead," Tommy replied.

"Should we keep going or head back?" Rocky asked. "This just doesn't feel right."

"We need to find out what that rock is," Tommy stated. "If it is another gem," he added, "we can't let Mesogog get his hands on it."

"Agreed," Trent stated, with a nod, remembering exactly what Mesogog's procession of a gem did to it. It was not an experience he wanted anyone to live through. "Just keep your eyes open for anything really unusual."

Rocky nodded, and let Tommy resume the lead with Trent following. He brought up the rear, scanning everywhere with his eyes. He really didn't like that it seemed like all of the animals that should have been there had vanished. He felt like he was walking into a trap. He flicked both his wrists, double checking that his zeonizers were in place as they walked.

"I see it," Tommy called out after another few minutes. He broke into more of a run, moving faster towards the rock, and then stopping a few feet away from it. Trent followed him at almost the same speed, and stopped off to the side, about the same distance away. Rocky brought up the rear more slowly, still examining everything around him. "It's humming," Tommy stated.

"More like vibrating I think," Trent confirmed. Rocky looked at both of them. He didn't hear anything. The woods were still as silent as ever. Both Tommy and Trent leaned in closer to the rock which was the size of a very tiny boulder, just small enough to be carried. However, a few pieces appeared to have been broken off and littered the ground. Both the main rock and the small splitters emitted a red glow every few moments in a steady pattern.

"Guys," Rocky stated, "I don't think you should touch that," he cautioned, and Tommy nodded, agreeing with him. Trent frowned at the rock, his hand that he'd reached out stopping in midair.

"It's giving me a headache," Trent stated, and Rocky frowned at him, looking back and forth, confused. He didn't understand how a silent rock that glowed red could be giving the teenager a headache. But Tommy appeared to be nodding agreement.

"It's definitely not a dino gem," Tommy stated, crouching down on the balls of his feet. "But I feel like it's calling to me."

"Yeah," Rocky stated, officially determining that he did not like the situation. "Ok see rocks don't talk. Let's leave the thing alone and head back. We can tell Billy and Haley what we learned when we get there." Tommy closed his eyes and nodded, running his hand over his face. Trent on the other hand didn't seem to have heard Rocky. His hand was reaching out towards the rock. "Trent," Rocky growled, "don't touch it," he hissed. Trent paused for a moment and looked at him, and then at Tommy, who also began to reach out towards the rock. "Oh for the love of Zordon," Rocky hissed, stalking towards both dino thunder rangers. "I said don't touch it!" he shouted, just as both Tommy and Trent allowed their fingertips to come in contact with the surface of the stone. The red light that had been flaring over the rocks engulfed both rangers, knocking them backwards off their feet.

Rocky instinctively bolted towards Tommy, dropping to the ground at the now unconscious ranger's side. He checked for a pulse. As soon as he found one, he ran to Trent a few yards away, and did the same thing, before throwing off his back pack and searching through it for something. He didn't know exactly what Tommy had placed inside the bags, but he hoped there might be something inside.

"Stupid," Rocky muttered. "I told them not to touch the damn rock, but did they listen to me. Nope," Rocky complained to himself, sighing when he didn't immediately find something in the bag. He glanced down at his wrist where he'd placed his communicator. He'd brought it, but until Wednesday, he hadn't worn it. Now he was glad he did. He stood up and turned his back to Trent. He pressed the button to reach Adam.

"Rocky?" Adam's voice came through immediately. "What's going on? I get downstairs and you all bailed on me. Next thing we now Haley's satellite feed goes dead."

"Tommy and Trent touched the rock. Now they're on the floor of the woods, uncon…" his voice trailed off as he scanned the area where he'd just left Tommy's body. It wasn't there.

"They're what?" Adam stated urgently. He didn't like the sound of Rocky's tone. Rocky spun around, ignoring Adam, only to find Trent was now missing as well.

"They're gone!" Rocky choked out. "Adam, one second they're on the ground unconscious and now they're gone."

"What?" Adam stated, disbelief.

"I don't know!" Rocky shouted. People didn't just disappear. Especially not people who'd been zapped by strange glowing rocks and sent flying through the air. "I don't like this."

"Haley's trying their communicators. They're not answering," Adam told him.

"I really don't like this," Rocky replied, turning swiftly, scanning everywhere, his eyes darting around. Suddenly he could hear sounds again. Not animals. But there was rustling and twigs breaking. "Adam," he stated as calmly as possible. "I think I'm going to need backup," he added. As the words left his mouth, something hard, strong, powerful and black slammed into him, sending him flying backwards into a tree.

Rocky hit the tree and slid down to its base, clutching his head in his hand. "Mother fucker," he swore, pushing himself to a standing position, and trying to let his eyes which were now fuzzy to focus. As his vision cleared, he caught sight of two figures stalking closer to him, one in a white uniform with black spikes, the second in a black uniform with gold triangles. He'd seen both uniforms multiple times. Knew exactly who they were. And in that moment, Rocky knew exactly what was happening. "Not again," he hissed, dodging at the last moment before the fist from the black clad individual collided with the tree trunk. A moment later and Rocky's head would have been between the fist and the tree. "Can't we talk about this?" Rocky asked, stumbling backwards closer to the rock, in his attempt to get away from the black and white dino thunder rangers. The black ranger growled, shaking his hand and spun towards him. The white ranger launched himself into the air and landed a kick against Rocky's chest, knocking him backwards and onto the ground. "Guess not," Rocky coughed out, sitting up. He scrambled backwards, not realizing he was so close to the glowing rock, and his hand collided with the stone. He glanced at it for a millisecond, waiting for the jolt that would send him flying through the air. When it didn't come, he turned his attention back to the two rangers who were charging towards him. He jumped to his feet, and flicked both of his wrists.

"It's morphin time! Zeo ranger three, blue!" Rocky shouted, morphing instantly. It was still two on one, but at least now it was a little fairer.

"Come on guys," he stated. "Snap out of it," he added in, blocking a kick to the head from the black ranger. The white ranger came up behind him, and pinned his arms to the sides. Having more experience, Rocky twisted, and broke the white ranger's hold, then delivered a kick, just strong enough to knock him away. The moment he was free of the white ranger, however, the black ranger came back at him. Rocky defended himself against every blow, but never retaliated. He was reluctant to strike out. Unfortunately, the two dino thunder rangers had absolutely no reservations about destroying him, and Rocky felt a sudden force to his back while he was engaged in defense with the black ranger. The blow sent him forward onto his knees as the black ranger aimed a kick directly at his head. All he could think about in that moment was that he wasn't going to live through this.

Before the strike could land, Rocky heard the sounds of a laser being fired, and striking something behind him. A second laser sound went off and sparks erupted as the beam of green light struck the black dino thunder ranger in front of him, knocking the ranger backwards. "What the hell happened?" Rocky heard Adam's voice. It was enough to shake him and he immediately jumped to his feet, turning to see the green zeo ranger sitting astride the black dino ATV, his zeo laser pistol in hand. "I thought you said they were gone?"

"I don't know," Rocky shouted, running towards him. "The rock did something to them," he explained. He paused beside the rock for a moment and bent down, picking up a few fragments.

"What are you doing?" Adam scolded him. "That blast isn't going to keep them knocked out for long."

"We've got to get these back to Billy and Haley. Whatever they are," Rocky stated, "they're responsible for whatever is going on with them," he added, jerking his thumb back at the prone body of the black ranger. "You sure they're ok?"

"It wasn't a direct hit," Adam assured him, and Rocky climbed onto the back of the ATV. "Just keep those things away from me. I don't like the sound of their humming," he added, as he spurred the four wheeler into action and spun it around, heading back the same way he'd come.

* * *

Ok, this this will be the last mini plot of the story. Cliche I know, but I felt I couldn't do a ranger fan fiction without delving into the realm of evil rangers. I know how I want this arc to end, but I'm still ironing out the details to get from point A to point Z. So really, anything can happen.

I love reading your reviews, so keep them coming,

Fateless


	43. Chapter 43

"Rocky? What happened out there?" Billy asked as the blue and green zeo rangers entered the command area. Connor and Ethan were both there, as Haley contacted everyone the moment that Rocky had asked for back up. "Where are Trent and Tommy?"

Rocky and Adam both removed their helmets, setting them down on the side. Rocky shook his head. He didn't even know where to begin. "I don't even know if they still are Trent and Tommy. As for where," he stated, "Adam and I left them in the woods."

"What do you mean you don't know if they're still them?" Connor asked, frowning. He was really not liking the sinking feeling he had in his gut. Ethan, Billy, and Haley all wore questioning looks on their faces.

"Haley picked up strange energy signals from a rock in the woods," Rocky stated, glancing up at the monitor which reflected only static. "So Tommy, Trent, and I went to investigate, in case it was another dino gem," he explained. The teenagers nodded. "Well, we found the rock, and I really can't explain what happened after that. It was strange. It was like they weren't listening to me. I told them not to touch it, but they did. Next thing I know, they're thrown back and knocked unconscious. I checked for a pulse; they were both alive. I turned my back for a second and then they're gone. Next thing I know I'm fighting for my life against the black and white dino thunder rangers."

"What?" Ethan shouted. Connor's face paled. "That's not possible," he stated, although he knew that wasn't true. He just wanted it to be.

"It's true," Adam stated. "Tommy was about to snap his neck with a kick when I got there."

"Don't call him that," Rocky snapped before sighing and shaking his head. "I refuse to believe that was Tommy."

"Rocky," Adam started, but Rocky shook his head and Adam sighed. He understood his teammate's reluctance to think of the two rangers who had attacked him as their friends.

"Alright," Haley stated, taking control. "First thing we need to do is keep calm," she stated, looking at Connor and Ethan in particular. Billy, Adam, and Rocky were all relatively calm, save the evident fear in their eyes.

"Calm she says," Connor stated sarcasm dripping in his tone, but one look from Haley and he was nodded and taking a few deep breaths. He was leader. His team was his responsibility. He could freak out over the two wayward rangers later. He had at least two more relying on him. Add in that since Reefside and Mesogog were the dino thunder teams' responsibility, Connor felt he needed to keep it together to guide the older group as well.

"Connor, contact Kira. Find out where she and the others are and tell her to get her butt back here faster," Haley stated, jumping to the computer. "I've got to get that feed back online," she added as Connor drifted off to the side to do as she commanded him. He and Ethan both looked visibly shaken, their faces pale.

"What's going on?" Adam asked; he clearly meant besides the obvious.

"Assuming the rangers that attacked Rocky are not clones and are in fact Tommy and Trent, we've got to go into emergency lock down," Haley replied, frowning, fear evident in her voice.

Ethan realized what was going on and jumped to another computer terminal. "I'm disengaging the Tyrannozord, Tricerazord, and Pterazord from the Brachiozord," he stated, typing a few commands into the computer. Haley gave him a nod.

"Kira and the others will be here in about a minute," Connor stated, a worried look in his eyes. Billy looked over at Adam and Rocky, both who wore expressions that stated that they didn't really understand what was going on. "I'm going upstairs to wait for them. The moment they get here, I'll signal you to start the lock down," Connor replied. Haley and Ethan both nodded as Connor ran up the stairs.

"Think about it guys," Billy told Rocky and Adam, realizing they still looked loss. "Tommy built this place; he knows everything about it, and more simply, he knows how to get in. If he's gone," he let his voice trail off, refusing to say what they knew he was getting at, "well, then unless we're locked down, we're not even safe here." And that's when it clicked. Rocky and Adam realized that if Trent and Tommy had really changed sides, unless they could lock down the command post, there was no place that was safe.

Ethan's communicator went off, and Ethan pressed the connect button. "They're in," Connor shouted without waiting for an answer, his voice urgent. "Lock us down."

"You heard him Haley," Ethan told the woman, who nodded and initiated a sequence she'd already activated on the computer terminal. All around them, they heard sounds of metal clashing together, and the hiss of airlocks sealing.

"What happened?" Kira asked following Connor down into the base at a run "Why are we on lock down?" Aisha, Tanya, and Kimberly were right behind her. Aisha had Luke in his baby seat, sound asleep.

"Dr. O and Trent might be playing for the wrong team," Ethan told her, turning around in his chair to face the computers again, so he wouldn't show her the fear in his eyes. He was terrified, but Connor wasn't panicking and so he tried to follow his lead. Kira's face paled. Kim, Tanya, and Aisha exchanged stunned looks with each other, and questioning looks with their male former teammates, each who nodded, reluctantly. All three looked sad and afraid.

"How is that possible?" Kimberly asked, and Rocky shook his head. She looked petrified. He was pretty sure all of them were feeling the same way. The only thing that kept them from panicking was that they'd had years of practice dealing with rangers gone bad. They knew that the best way to handle any situation was to stay as calm as possible.

"Did you?" Kira started to ask Ethan. He followed her line of thinking and nodded.

"Got the Zords… well, all the ones we can. I removed the Tyrannozord, Tricerazord, and Pterazord from the Brachiozord, so he can't get to those. I disconnected his morpher connection to the auxiliary zords, but there's no guarantee that he won't be able maintain the telepathic connection. Nothing I can do about the Brachiozord, Stegozord, or Dragozord. Dr. O and Trent control those," Ethan rattled off quickly, although they could hear his voice shaking slightly. Kira and Connor took deep breaths and nodded.

"Whose idea was the ability to lock down the command post?" Adam asked, frowning.

"Dr. O's," Connor replied. "He was always afraid something like this might happen," he added in shaking his head. "Damn it, and Trent's only just gotten control of himself back in the last month," he muttered, punching a wall. He was pissed.

"We'll be safe here though. Dr. O may have come up with the idea, but since the idea was to keep us out should any of us ever, you know," Ethan stated, "we weren't involved in the design. I don't even have any idea on how to activate or deactivate it. Haley designed it," he explained.

"With help," Haley added in, nodding to Billy.

"You helped with this?" Aisha asked him and Billy reluctantly nodded. He hadn't been pleased that Tommy was worried about the rangers flipping, but he could see the logic in it; after all, it had happened before, several times. "And the whole place is safe?"

"Every bit," Billy and Haley stated together. "The whole house," Billy added in. "Katie is safe upstairs," he told Aisha, seeing the worry in her eyes.

"I got the feed back up," Haley stated, "the surge of power from the rock knocked it out," she explained, as everyone gathered around her, watching as the computer monitor cleared up, showing the area of the woods where the rock had been. Unfortunately, now it was gone. As were the two rangers who Rocky and Adam had left out there. Haley frowned. "Well, I didn't think they'd stay there for long," she stated, "but the rock being gone isn't good. Rocky, explain what happened again? They touched it and got knocked out?"

"Sort of," Rocky stated, shaking his head and stepping towards a table. He laid the fragments of the rock he'd collected from the woods on it, as everyone came closer to look at them. Haley moved her hand towards them as if to touch them. "I wouldn't; these are pieces of the rock," Rocky stated, and she withdrew her hand, giving him a questioning look. "Before they touched the rock, Tommy and Trent said a couple of strange things, and it was like they couldn't help themselves. Tommy said it was calling to him, and Trent looked at me like he didn't want to touch it but he couldn't help himself. And when we first got there, they both said it was humming, or vibrating."

"The fragments are too," Adam insisted, and Billy nodded. Connor and Ethan both frowned at them like they were insane, and Rocky shook his head.

"I don't hear it," Rocky stated, looking around the room.

"Me either," Aisha confirmed, looking at Tanya, Kira, and Kim.

"So some of us can hear it and others can't?" Kira stated.

"You hear something?" Connor and Ethan asked her and she nodded. Billy frowned.

"Hang on a second," he stated, going over to a desk and grabbing a piece of paper and a pen. He needed to keep track of this and maybe find the common denominator between all of those, who like Tommy and Trent, could hear the rock humming. He made two columns, one that said yes, and the other than said no. He then wrote Tommy and Trent's name in the yes column, and added Adam, Kira, and himself. He then put Rocky, Connor, Ethan, and Aisha in the no column. "Kim, Tanya, how about you guys?"

"No," Tanya stated, shaking her head. "They're glowing," she confirmed, "but I don't hear anything from them."

"I do," Kimberly stated and Billy nodded, adding each of their names to the separate columns.

"Haley, I know you've never been a ranger, but," his voice trailed off as he directed the question to her. Haley shook her head.

"I can't hear it either," she confirmed, and Billy added her name to the no column. So between the twelve, it was split 50/50. He frowned, at the paper and then turned back to the rock.

"I don't get it," he stated, looking over the group. Age clearly had nothing to do with it. Neither did sex. Or type of power. He had the feeling the answer was staring him right in the face, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He sighed, and shook his head. "Until we figure out what the humming means, no one touches the rocks, ok?" he stated, turning around and frowning. Kimberly was standing the closest to them, staring at them. "Kim?"

"What?" she stated, jumping slightly as if she hadn't heard him.

"Didn't you hear what I said?" Billy asked her. Kimberly sighed and shook her head.

"No touching the rocks," she repeated, frowning. "Billy, can we put them away somewhere? There's something strange about them."

Billy looked over at Haley who nodded and pulled a clear bio chamber off of a shelf. She set it down on the table next to the shards and opened it. "Rocky, you're the only one we know for sure can touch them," Haley stated. Rocky nodded and picked up the rocks, placing them inside the chamber. Haley shut it and locked it.

"I can't hear the humming anymore," Kira stated. Haley looked at Adam, Billy, and Kim, and they all nodded agreement with Kira.

"Well, that's good to know," Haley replied to her. "We should still be able to run some diagnostics on the rocks through the chamber. Not as many as I'd like, but some."

"So what exactly do we do now?" Ethan asked.

"Nothing we can do until we know more about what's going on," Haley replied. "And that means we stay locked down here," she added.

"Oh goody," Connor stated, rolling his eyes. "Another slumber party. You know what, I'm beginning to think the universe is out to get us."

"Beginning?" Adam laughed sarcastically. "Kid, I've known that for over a decade. All the good you do, doesn't matter. The morphing grid gods come back to get you. Tommy's one of their favorites. So you hang with him, you're going to get caught in the crossfire."

"Wonderful," Connor replied, rubbing his head with his hand and pulling out his cell phone. "Ethan, I'm sleeping over your place, you're sleeping over mine. Kira? Got a plan?"

"Haley, you willing to tell my parents you're going to let me stay the night at your place? We'll say it's to get in extra practice for that gig coming up?" Kira asked the older woman who nodded. It wouldn't have been the first time, just the first time that the story wasn't true. Kira pulled out her cell phone, and began to dial, while Connor and Ethan each called their own parents.

Kimberly peered into the clear bio chamber, Adam coming up to stand beside her. "You ok?" he asked her, and she shook her head. "Didn't think so," he added, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. She leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Any ideas why we can hear it and the others can't?" she asked him. Adam shook his head. If Billy hadn't figured it out, he wasn't sure he would be able to. "Did you feel it calling out to you?"

"Not really," Adam told her. "The humming isn't very loud either," he stated. Kimberly frowned.

"That's weird," she replied. "If I didn't concentrate on something else, it was almost deafening. It was giving me a strange headache." It was Adam's turn to frown.

"Billy," he called out to the former blue ranger who was still going over the lists he'd made. Billy looked up at him. "There's some more info you might want for those lists. We all don't hear the rocks the same way," he stated.

"What do you mean?" Billy asked, walking over to the two of them.

"It's barely audible to me, while Kim hears it very loud. She said she felt it calling to her," Adam stated and Kimberly nodded, sighing.

"That is strange. I definitely had no problem hearing the humming, but I didn't feel as if it was calling. Kira?" Billy called out as the young yellow ranger hung up her cell phone. She walked over to them.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Can you describe what you felt and heard from the rocks?"

"Felt?" she stated, frowning and shaking her head. "I didn't feel anything," she explained. "Hear, definitely. It was like a vibrating humming sound. But other than that, nothing strange."

"Thanks," Billy stated, frowning. "So Kira and I can hear it, Adam can barely hear it, and Kim feels drawn to it on top of the hearing."

"Don't forget Tommy said it was calling to him too, and Trent acted like he wasn't able to ignore it," Rocky stated, coming up behind them, Aisha attached to his side. She was clearly anxious.

"Alright," Billy stated as he wrote down everything on the same sheet of paper as he made his lists. Now he had three categories within the category of who could hear the rocks humming. He ran his hand over his face as he stared at the names, still not seeing what it was that they all had in common. He knew why he wasn't figuring it out. At the current moment he was too worried about what was going on. He and Kim had been through conflict with evil Tommy before, as had Rocky and Adam. And although all the evidence pointed at that fact, he was still trying to hope that it was not their current situation. Admittedly, that hope was incredibly weak. His eyes scanned over Tommy's desk, settling on the picture of the original team. "Please don't let it be true," he muttered, looking up around the room.

Connor, Kira, and Ethan were seated together discussing something he couldn't overhear. They looked worried, but determined. Haley had a scanner and was going over the rocks inside the bio chamber, frowning every so often at the read out. He should have been helping her, but he felt helpless. Aisha, Rocky, Adam, Tanya, and Kim were sitting on one of the other sofas. None of them were talking. They were all pale and Billy could easily read the fear in their eyes. He was sure the same emotions were reflected in his own face. Aisha was cuddled up in Rocky's arms, while Adam held Tanya's hand, as she leaned on his shoulder. Kim sat alone, a slightly green tinge beneath her pale face. Billy sighed and walked over to her, taking the seat beside her and wrapping his arms around her shoulders. She bit her lip and inhaled sharply, turning her head and burying it into his shoulder, wrapping her own arms around him. He felt her shake and knew she was crying as quietly as she could. He sighed, trying to figure out if things could get any worse.

* * *

"So close," Tommy scowled, glaring into a mirror on a hard stone wall. He narrowed his index finger and thumb together as he stated it, before gripping both sides of the sink in front of him with each of his hands. His eyes were cold and hard. He was shirtless, shoeless, and only wearing a pair of black sweat pants, and his upper body was bare except for two small rocks that glowed red every so often. Each was suspended on a separate leather cord around his neck. He snarled and raised his right fist, slamming it into the glass, and shattering his reflection. He spun around and leaned against the sink, examining the glass shards in his knuckles and the blood that now dripped down his hand.

"Yeah right," Trent replied, rolling his eyes, a sadistic smirk on his face. He sat on one of two metal cots in the room. He too, only wore a pair of pants. His were white. He had a matching set of glowing rocks dangling around his neck. Despite the fact that he wasn't morphed, he held his drago sword in his hands and was tossing it back and forth between them as he sat there, his elbows on his knees, both feet flat on the floor. Aside from a tiny trunk at the foot of each of the cots, and the sink, the room was devoid of furniture.

"I was doing better than you," Tommy spat at him, looking up and glaring at the teenager. "You were supposed to have my back."

"Thought you could handle them, oh legendary ranger," Trent snapped back. Tommy narrowed his glare at him.

"I should just destroy you as well," Tommy stated coldly, stepping into an offensive stance. Trent threw his drago sword onto the bed and lunged towards him, fists flying.

"Boys, boys, boys," a new voice bounced off the walls of the room, and both of them sprang apart as Elsa entered the room. "We can't have you fighting each other," she told them, a smirk on her lips, as she watched both Trent and Tommy cast their eyes down to the ground, as they stepped away from each other. She held a black baton in her right hand, and she spun it on its side in her left palm. A red gem on the top of it glowed and glinted as it caught light from the gas lamps in the stone walled room. Both men were having a hard time keeping their eyes off of it. "Have you forgotten the primary objective?"

"No," they both replied coldly, looking up to each other, and then at Elsa. She smirked and twirled the baton again. The rocks around their necks glowed brighter.

"I should hope not. Have you anything to report?"

"The rangers have locked themselves down," Trent spat, his eyes dropping into a glare at Tommy, "thanks to someone's brilliant idea."

"Spent a little too much time denying who I truly am, so sue me," Tommy growled in response, tension mounting in the room again between them. "It's not like you fought me on the idea," he added.

"There's no way in?" Elsa asked. "Play on their sympathies? Those rangers will do anything for one of their own in danger," she suggested.

"Not with the former blue ranger there," Tommy stated, shaking his head. "He knows me too well," he added in.

"And they wouldn't trust me," Trent added, less angrily, but no less coldly. When Elsa had their attention, they couldn't ignore her. "I wasn't on their side long enough, thank god."

"Thank Mesogog," Elsa corrected him, with a smirk. She twisted the baton again, which caught their attention, as the rocks around their necks glowed brighter. "So if we can't get in," she stated, "we'll have to flush them out," she added with a sadistic grin. Both Tommy and Trent smirked. "Get some sleep boys," she commanded them. "We've got work in the morning. Oh, and someone clean up that mess," she added, indicating the broken glass in the sink and on the floor around it. She spun on her feet and left the room, the door slamming shut as a locked hissed behind her, leaving Tommy and Trent locked in.

* * *

Billy peered around at the group surrounding him. The first person his eyes fell on was Kimberly to his right. She stood there, just as bewildered as he was. Despite the fact that she was nearing the age of thirty, Kim was dressed in a pink floral skirt, a pink tank top, and a blue jean vest that was sleeveless and tied at her waist. Most of her hair was down, loose over her shoulders, but she had her bangs sweeping across her forehead, and a small portion of hair tied up in a pink bow on top of her head. He frowned for a moment, trying to remember when in the last twenty four hours Kimberly had grown bangs. Rocky stood to Kimberly's right, wearing a solid red collared button down with no sleeves, and a pair of red pants. He also wore a look of confusion. To Rocky's right, was Aisha, her hair not in braids, but straightened over her shoulders. She wore a pair of khaki colored shorts, a long sleeved yellow shirt, and a black and orange vest over it. She had her hair in a half pony tail like Kimberly, but her scrunchi was white. Finally, to Aisha's right, was Adam, dressed in a pair of black pants and hoodie that was yellow and orange vertical stripped with black long sleeves. Confused, Billy looked down at his own attire, discovering he was wearing a blue stripped short sleeved polo and a pair of light blue jean overalls. A glint in his eye made him realize that he was wearing a pair of glasses. As strange as it was, he felt oddly undisturbed by it. Instead, he allowed himself to turn his attention towards the being in the circle of the five rangers – a small red, blue, yellow, and gold robot. It wasn't until he focused on Alpha that his surroundings came into focus. Just behind and between Aisha and Adam, he noticed the viewing globe. Circling the rangers were consoles with flashing lights and buttons. Several columns with ringed lights surrounded them. To his right was Zordon's tube, empty. He was in the command center.

"The computer finally has an answer," Alpha stated, walking forward out of the circle between Billy and Kimberly and moving toward the nearest console. Billy and Kim each bent over Alpha's shoulders while the other three looked on behind them. "When the black ranger was caught in the force field, the computer locked onto his interspatial bio-vibrations. It's been running them through the system trying to make a match."

"You mean the computer knows black ranger's identity?" Billy asked the robot, frowning slightly. Why did this sound familiar? He knew the black rangers identity. He couldn't understand why the computer needed to determine it.

"Exactly," Alpha stated.

"I'll program it to show us who he is on the viewing globe," Billy told the others, turning around and pointing at it. He walked to a console closer to the large white sphere, the others gathering around it. His heart was pounding even as he acted, almost against his will.

"Finally, some answers," Aisha stated, leaning on the console on the opposite side of the viewing globe. Kimberly laughed nervously. Kim and Adam stepped closest to the viewing globe, while Rocky stayed behind, crossing his arms over his chest. Billy frowned at him for a moment. It wasn't a stance Rocky often took, but it reminded him of someone. His brain wouldn't access who.

Billy typed on the keyboard for a few moments, eliciting sounds that only a computer in the nineteen nineties would have emitted. "It's coming together," he told his friends, turning to look at the globe.

"Aww man," Adam stated, as the picture started to clear up, his expression turning into a frown. Billy stepped away from the console and stood beside Rocky, frowning at the image.

"No way," Rocky added in, his expression changing to one of disbelief.

"Kimberly, look," Aisha stated, and Billy heard the despair in her voice, as she shook her head slightly.

Kimberly's face fell and she looked like she wanted to cry. She shook her head as if trying her best to deny the image in the viewing globe. "I don't believe it," she stated, her voice shaking slightly.

The image on the viewing globe fully cleared, showing a grown man with short spiked hair, and a small patch of facial hair on his chin, wearing a black tank top that exposed his muscular arms. His eyes were hostile and flat.

"Tommy?" Kimberly's voice spoke, and suddenly, Billy felt pain across his entire right side.

The jolt of rolling off the couch in his sleep caused Billy to wake up suddenly. For several moments, he looked around, trying to get his bearings and remember where he was. Because of the pre-dawn light that came in through the vertical blinds that covered the sliding back door, it took Billy a bit to realize that he was currently in Tommy's living room. He blinked a few times, untangling himself from the blankets, and pushed himself off the floor. He took a seat back on the sofa and grabbed for his glasses, having taken his contact lenses out to sleep. Once they were on, he glanced around the room, running his hand over his face.

Of course he wasn't in the command center. And neither were Kim, Adam, Aisha, and Rocky. In fact, the latter three had never been there during that time. At the moment, Aisha and Rocky were sleeping in the spare bedroom with Katie and Luke. Adam and Tanya were sleeping in Tommy's room. Adam had originally insisted Kim share the bed with Tanya, but she had declined, stating she'd be perfectly fine on the love seat in the living room with Billy. She lay there now, tossing and turning slightly in her sleep. The teenagers and Haley were sleeping downstairs in their command base. Billy sighed and stood up, placing his hand on Kim's shoulder and gently shaking her.

"Kim," Billy called gently. "Wake up," he stated, his voice only slightly louder than a whisper.

Kimberly groaned, but slowly blinked open her eyes, her body relaxing from the tension of her obvious nightmare. Billy stepped back as she slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes. Once her vision adjusted, she gazed up at Billy, noticing the look in his eyes.

"You too, huh?" Kimberly asked him, and Billy nodded. "That was like the twelfth bad dream I've had all night. Billy," she stated, "why is this happening again?" He knew she meant the situation and not the fact that they were having nightmares over it.

"I don't know," he told her, shaking his head. "Haley and I scanned every aspect of those rocks we could think of. They're obviously responsible, but we haven't been able to tell how."

"But why Tommy? Why again? It's like it's always him," she stated, casting her eyes to her lap beneath her blanket.

"Maybe he's right about the morphing grid gods being out to get him," Billy stated with a disheartened smirk, shaking his head. Kimberly sighed and nodded her head slightly. Billy heard her sniffle slightly. She'd clearly started crying again, but she didn't want him to know, or she would have come closer to him. He watched her wipe her eyes on her arms, before he turned away from her. "I'm going to head down. It's early yet. Why don't you try and go back to sleep?"

Kimberly shook her head no. "I wouldn't get any rest anyway," she told him.

"I know what you mean," Billy told her.

"I'll make some coffee. The others will be up soon. I doubt Luke and Katie will let Aisha and Rocky sleep in, even if they could," she said, pushing herself off the couch and heading towards the kitchen.

"Thanks," Billy called quietly after her and proceeded to make his way downstairs. Part of him was not surprised to see the three teenagers drowsy, but awake on the sofa talking quietly, while Haley was already at the computers running through the data from the scans, trying to make some sense of it. "I take it you guys couldn't sleep either?" he asked the teenagers. They gave him sad smiles and shook their heads.

"Hey Billy," Haley called from her seat at the computers. Billy walked up until he was standing just behind her, looking over her shoulder at the data.

"Morning," he told her. "Any luck?" he asked. Haley frowned and sighed.

"I've made a bit of progress," she stated. "It's not an exact match, or even very close one, but the data banks are suggesting that we've encountered something with a similar energy signatures before. Unfortunately the match is so slight, it's taking me forever to dig through the data."

"Keep trying," Billy suggested. "I'm going to run some more scans on the rocks. Maybe I'll have Rocky pull them out of the chamber when he comes down," he stated.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Ethan asked.

"Yeah," Connor added in, casting a worried look at Kira. He didn't like the idea of letting his third teammate who could hear the rocks be anywhere near them. "Didn't Rocky say they seem to call to those who can hear them?"

"We've already done all we can with them inside the chamber. There may be something we're missing that we can't sense through it. It's worth the risk," he replied, studying the stones. They still glowed red every so often, but on occasion, the red flared brighter. He hadn't noticed that before. "But, to be on the safe side," he added, looking up. "I'd prefer in Kim, Adam, and Kira weren't present when we do take them out."

"What about you?" Kira asked, and Billy shrugged. "Couldn't Haley and Ethan run the tests?"

"I'd rather have Billy's input," Haley replied, but her face suggested she did agree with Kira that Billy shouldn't be anywhere near the stones either. Billy shook his head slightly. He agreed as well. If the rocks were only dangerous to those who could hear them, he shouldn't be near them either. But unfortunately, he was one of the only individuals present with the expertise to discover their secrets.

"Rocky and I will stay," Connor stated. "If Billy tries to touch them, between the two of us, we'll be able to keep him away," he added in. Billy paused for a moment to look at him, but then nodded. It was the best they had.

"It's an idea," Billy stated, when suddenly the computers began blaring an alarm. He and Haley turned away from the teenagers to face the monitors, while Connor, Kira, and Ethan came up behind them. All of the monitors displayed the words "Emergency Override". The sensors that Haley and Tommy had installed were picking up some type trouble in Reefside. The system was set to interrupt anything they were doing and get their attention. "But it's going to have to wait," he added.

Haley began typing a few commands into the computer that would bring up the feed of whatever the emergency was. The monitors zeroed in on a square in the heart of Reefside. Tyrannodrones were everywhere, causing terror and destruction. It wasn't anything new. However, standing at the base of a set of stairs, arms crossed over their chests were the morphed black and white rangers. Their body language spoke of defiance and anger. They were staring directly into the surveillance camera, clearly challenging the rangers to stop them.

"Fuck," Connor stated, and Haley glared at him. He shook his head, but didn't apologize for his swearing. They'd been expecting an attack at some point. But expecting it and seeing it happen were two separate things. Further, seeing both black and white ranger making such a statement took every last bit of hope that what was happening wasn't real away.


	44. Chapter 44

"It's obviously a trap," Ethan stated, frowning at the screen. He was the first of his three teammates to speak.

"You think?" Kira replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Trap or not, we can't just let them destroy Reefside."

"And what do you propose we do about it?" Ethan argued with her. "Trent nearly destroyed us the last time we went through this. Can you image the damage he and Dr. O will cause?"

"Guys," Connor interjected, stepping between his two teammates and pushing them apart. "We've got enough to deal with without going at each other's throats," he told them, looking from one to the other.

"Spoken like a true leader," Billy told him, with a nod of approval, before turning back to the screen, and studying the two morphed rangers. "Still, I understand Ethan's worry. Tommy is a powerful ranger. He almost destroyed us once," he added, recalling the real event, as well as the disturbed dream he'd been woken up from. "But what did Ethan mean by you going through this before?"

"We didn't tell you?" Kira asked, frowning, as footsteps caught their attention.

"What's going on?" Kimberly's voiced asked. She carried two mugs of coffee and handed them to Billy and Haley. Behind her were Adam, Tanya, Rocky, and Aisha. Kim took a mug for herself from Aisha. Each of the older individuals frowned at the monitors. "Is that?"

"Tommy and Trent have clearly issued a challenge," Haley stated with a nod, taking a sip of her coffee and whispered a thanks to Kimberly who gave a nod in return. The three zeo rangers, Aisha, and Kim all looked worried as a result.

"What didn't you tell us Kira?" Billy asked, shifting the attention back to the dino thunder teenagers.

"I could have sworn I told someone," Kira stated, shaking her head. "Trent was evil when he first became a ranger," she explained.

"I remember you saying that," Kim stated. "But I think only Aisha and I were present," she added, and Kira nodded.

"Mesogog had his dino gem first," Kira explained, "so when he bonded to it, it kind of took control of his personality," she explained.

"But the evil in his gem was destroyed," Connor stated, placing a hand on Kira's shoulder. She nodded, casting her gaze to the floor. Seeing him now that they'd established what they meant to each other was really demoralizing her, and she was grateful for the support Connor and Ethan gave her. Billy was frowning at them when they finished explaining.

"So this isn't the first time he's gone evil?" Adam voiced the question that was reflected in Billy's eyes. The three teenagers and Haley shook their heads no in response. "And it's definitely not Tommy's."

"That's an understatement," Rocky muttered.

"So, we've got two evil rangers on our hands, who have both spent a decent amount of time as evil rangers before," Aisha stated. "Wonderful," she added in, rolling her eyes.

"And they clearly want to fight," Ethan replied, dropping his shoulders. "Kira and Connor are right," he added in. "It's a trap, but it's not like we can ignore it."

"Three on two. Just what we need," Connor stated sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"You're not going alone," Rocky told them, and Aisha nodded her approval.

"Are you sure about this?" Connor asked his older counterpart. Rocky gave him a determined nod. "I'm not trying to talk you out of it, but I don't see this going exceptionally well. We're probably going to have to hurt them," he added in.

"I already fired a laser at Tommy without hesitation," Adam reminded him. "I'll do it again, if I have to," he added. His face, and that of Rocky and Tanya's reflected their determination. Kim however looked worried. Still she nodded. She knew her friends wouldn't do anything unless it was necessary. They had all sworn to Zordon's rule of not escalating battle.

"Then we'd appreciate the back up," Connor agreed, and turned to his teammates. "No matter what happens, we have to remember this is Trent and Dr. O," he told them. "It's not their fault. No matter what they say or do," he stated.

"We got it Connor," Ethan replied with a nod.

"Absolutely," Kira agreed.

"Haley," Connor stated, taking charge. "Can you keep an eye on things? Let us know if you notice anything we don't?"

"Of course," she stated. "And try not to hurt them too badly," she stated, with a slight smile, that the teenagers knew was partially serious and partially trying to hide her nerves and worry. "The lock down is designed to let us out, but not back in. I'll lift it when you return."

"Ready guys?" Connor asked, looking around the room. Ethan and Kira nodded, while Rocky passed Aisha his coffee mug, and Adam and Tanya set theirs down, before all six morphed and left the command base.

* * *

"Think they got our message?" Trent asked Tommy without breaking his gaze with the camera. Tommy gave a slight inclination of his entire upper body. "What's taking so long?"

"Debating whether it's a trap or not," Tommy told him flatly, and Trent gave a sadistic snort of laughter in response.

"Of course it's a damn trap," he laughed, ice in his voice. "They'd be stupid if they didn't know that."

"They'll come anyway," Tommy told him, shaking his head slightly. Neither ranger altered their stance during their conversation. "It's their responsibility to stop us," he added coldly.

"As if they could," Trent replied.

"Don't get cocky," Tommy scolded the younger ranger.

"Whatever," Trent muttered, rolling his eyes within his helmet, and nodding in front of him as he noticed the brightly colored uniforms of his former teammates. "About time they showed up," he added, with a bit of a snicker. His body shifted. He was clearly eager for the fight he knew was about to come.

"Stick to the plan," Tommy cautioned him. "Mesogog will not be pleased otherwise," he added in, as he shifted into fighting stance. Despite the malice both felt towards the other rangers, there was a distinct difference in their behavior. Trent was eager, while Tommy was more restrained and disciplined.

"Had to bring back up, huh rangers?" Trent spat as the six colored rangers fell into defensive poses in front of them, though he was clearly addressing and challenging Connor.

"Trent," Connor replied, ignoring the barb. "Call this off," he added. "Come back to us," he insisted.

"Why would I do something stupid like that?" Trent replied, and they could hear the malice in his voice, as his head turned slightly to fall on Kira. She didn't move a muscle, despite feeling his gaze boring into her. "Kira," he stated simply. She couldn't identify the emotion in his voice.

"Trent," she replied, keeping her tone even and as emotionless as possible. She heard his snort of sadistic laughter, but she couldn't identify what he felt was so funny.

"Dr. O?" Ethan asked, addressing the black ranger. He hadn't shifted or made a sound, and the other rangers couldn't tell exactly who he was looking at.

"Don't bother Ethan," Tanya told him, shaking her head. "That's not Tommy," she stated.

"Is that so," Tommy stated, and his friends recalled the tone in his voice. They were familiar with it. "Denial doesn't suit you Tanya," he told her, spite dripping in his tone.

"Leave her alone," Adam growled at him, and Tommy shifted his head noticeably so that he was looking at the current green clad ranger. Tommy's body shook as he let loose a deep guttural laugh.

"Or what Adam?" he taunted. "It's about time you grew a back bone. Not that it'll do you any good. I'm still going to kill you."

"Tommy," Rocky stated. "Try and remember who we are," he stated. "We're you're friends."

Tommy snorted a laugh as he noticed all three zeo rangers move to place their hands at the clasps of their helmets. "Do you really think it would be that easy? Don't bother. I know exactly who you are."

"Then why do this?" Adam replied, his hands dropping back to defensive pose. Beneath his helmet he blushed red, embarrassed at Tommy had called them out on their plan, and frustrated that it was clear that Tommy knew them and knew exactly what he was doing. He knew Tommy spoke the truth. Seeing their faces wouldn't help.

"It's who I am," Tommy replied simply, ice in his voice.

"That's not true," Kira stated, although she wasn't looking at Tommy, she was focused on Trent. She did however, turn to look at him at that point. "You are not evil. You do not work for Mesogog. Neither of you," she added in, looking back and forth between her two teammates.

"Pathetic," Trent replied, pure unadulterated hate in his voice. Tommy just snickered and shook his head.

"Call off the tyrannodrones," Connor stated simply, hearing the hurt and upset in Kira's voice. He cared too much about his teammate to allow Tommy and Trent to keep addressing her like she didn't matter.

"Don't think we will," Trent snorted, dropping his stance deeper. Connor sighed. He knew his order would be ignored, but it was still upsetting to actually hear it happen. He was ready the moment Trent charged toward him, and he met the blow meant for his head with a block, and followed it with a second block to avoid a strike to his torso.

Trent attacking Connor seemed to be the que that conversation was done. Neither Tommy nor Trent was going to back down. They weren't going to come quietly. And unfortunately they weren't under some type of memory spell that could be undone by remembered who they were. So there was only one choice left, and that was to fight.

While Connor battled it out with Trent, Tommy directly attacked Rocky and Adam, leaving Kira, Ethan, and Tanya to deal with the tyrannodrones. Kira and Tanya made eye contact through their visors and each gave a brief nod to one another, before they easily teamed up with one another, matching each other move for move against the tyrannodrones, their color bond connecting them through the morphing grid. At one point, Kira dropped low to the ground, tripping a tyrannodrones that Tanya sent spiraling backwards toward her with a kick to the chest. The two women moved together, striking out with a series of punches and kicks in time with one another. Ethan utilized his strength and armor to defend himself as well as produce a few tyrannodrones devastating attacks. Anger fueled his desire to destroy the dinosaur mutant creatures as quickly as he possibly could.

Connor matched every one of Trent's strikes with a block. Both rangers had called on their personal weapons, so Connor had the advantage of the tyranno staff's length to keep the drago sword from biting into him. Due to Connor's reluctance to attack back, it almost seemed like the two rangers were engaged in a really intense sparring match. "Trent," Connor growled, stepping backwards out of the range of one of his strikes. "Why are you doing this?"

"I don't owe you any answers," Trent hissed in response, not relenting on his attacks. He swung the drago sword at Connor's left shoulder, only to have the tyranno staff block it. Trent expected Connor to strike back in return, but instead the red clad ranger held the staff with both hands, his eyes scanning for a muscle twitch in the white ranger that would alert him to the next attack.

"What about Kira? Don't you care about her?" Connor spoke, trying to remind his friend. "You guys just had things going right." Trent just laughed, sadistically. He didn't make any other comment, and it caused Connor's stomach to sink. "Dude! You've got to fight this. Whatever that rock did to you, you've got to fight it."

"It freed me you idiot," Trent rebutted. "It made me see who I really am."

"Why do you two keep saying that," Connor growled, not exactly asking. "This isn't you." Trent seemed angered by that statement, and he whirled around faster, his arms moving in a series of strikes as he fought to break through Connor's defenses. Connor stumbled backwards, barely able to keep up with the ferocity of the attack.

Across the square, Rocky and Adam tag teamed Tommy. Unlike Connor and Trent, the three fought without weapons. And, unlike Connor, Rocky and Adam were returning some of Tommy's blows, though not without withholding some of the power and strength they normally would have used.

"Two on one," Tommy snarled at them. "I thought Power Rangers fought fair," he hissed.

"You would know," Rocky growled back. "You were one, once," he added in. "If you're not going to come back to us, just call this attack off," he stated.

"Why?" Tommy asked, and the two zeo rangers heard the dark humor in his voice. "You're right. I do know. I know you can't escalate the battle."

"But we can protect the city from you," Adam told him, indicating he'd do whatever he had to in order to protect Reefside.

"You wouldn't dare," Tommy laughed. "They'd never forgive you," he added, moving in closer. He knew both Rocky and Adam would understand who 'they' were. "Not that you'll care how they feel when I'm through," he added in grabbing Adam by the arm. The close contact caused the green ranger to stop moving. He was stunned and confused. He was having trouble thinking clearly, and as such couldn't break the black ranger's hold.

"Adam," Rocky called out, disturbed by the fact that his best friend had stopped fighting. He moved the few feet between them, and kicked out against Tommy's chest, freeing Adam both physically and mentally from Tommy's hold. The green ranger collapsed onto his hands and knees, breathing hard. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Adam forced out, struggling to catch his breath, as Rocky pulled him to his feet, and both turned back to face Tommy who was moving towards them, laughing again. "I heard something and then it was like I couldn't control myself."

"Are you alright?" Adam heard Tanya ask as she ran up beside him, placing her hand on his shoulder. Adam glanced around and noticed all of the tyrannodrones were gone. Ethan and Kira had raced over to Connor to help him with Trent. Adam nodded, as the three zeo rangers resumed defensive stances in front of Tommy, who was still laughing. It was seriously creeping them out.

"What's wrong rangers? Seen a ghost?" Tommy shouted at them amused. Beneath their helmets, the three zeo rangers glared at him. Despite the fact that Tommy was now in a neutral stance in front of them, the three rangers did not shift out of defense. They clearly could not trust him.

One the other side of the square, Connor was glad for Ethan and Kira's assistance. Trent was relentless in his attacks, and Connor had unfortunately been forced to defend himself. At one point, he delivered a kick that forced Trent to stumble backwards, into the waiting arms of Ethan, who used his powers to pin the white ranger's arms to his side. "We don't want to hurt you," Ethan growled, as Trent struggled within his grasp.

"Trent please," Kira added in, just off to the side. "Snap out of it," she begged. Trent stopped struggling for a moment and gazed at her, making eye contact through their visors. "Please?" she called out, adding a bit of a question to her tone. She took a few steps closer to Trent. Ethan loosened his grasp slightly.

"Kira?" Trent asked, watching the yellow ranger come closer. Connor hesitated for a moment, debating whether or not he should get in between them. "I don't understand," Trent muttered. "I don't know what's happening."

"Kira," Connor called out in warning, moving towards the white ranger as well.

"It's ok," Kira spoke, although it wasn't clear if she was talking to Trent or to Connor. She had almost reached Trent, when suddenly Trent pushed himself out of Ethan's relaxed arms, and spun, kicking the blue ranger away. He then grabbed hold of Kira, wrapping the arm that didn't hold his drago sword around her neck and pulling her closer to him so that her back rested against his chest. He held his weapon out in front of him, as he backed away from Connor who had begun to charge towards him, tyranno staff raised. Kira kicked her legs against the ground, and clawed at Trent's arm with her hands, trying to pry it off her wind pipe as he started to suffocate her.

"Stay away Red ranger," Trent growled, as he continued to back away.

"Let her go Trent," Connor replied, but he did stop his advance, afraid Trent would hurt Kira.

"Not going to happen," Trent told him, with a cold laugh. He swiveled his head to glance at Tommy. "I got what I came for," he addressed the black ranger, who simply nodded. The two evil rangers were now enclosed in a semicircle by the five remaining good rangers. Kira's efforts to free herself were diminishing as she slowly slipped into unconsciousness due to the lack of oxygen. When Trent felt her go limp, he adjusted his hold, propping her over his shoulder. "It was nice chatting with you," he laughed. Immediately as the words left his mouth an invisiportal opened behind him. Trent leaped into it, and Connor and Ethan began to rush forward in an attempt to follow. However, Tommy shouted for his brachio staff and the moment it was in his hand, he spun dial on the hilt.

"Brachio Staff! Wind Strike!" he shouted, dropping to one knee and plunging the staff into the ground in front of Connor, Ethan, Rocky, Adam, and Tanya. A cyclone of air drove forward from the staff's point of contact with the ground into the five rangers, driving them backwards and into the air, before depositing them harshly on their backs further away from the invisiportal.

Groaning, Connor pushed himself onto his elbows, just in time to see the portal shut. He glanced around for the black ranger, and failed to find any trance of him. "Damn it!" Connor cursed. "They've taken Kira," he growled, as the other four rangers pushed into more vertical positions as well. No one replied. There really was nothing to say.

* * *

"That did not just happen," Aisha stated, staring at the monitors. They'd been sitting in stunned silence long enough for the rangers to have left the square, on their way back to command. Beside her, Kimberly's face was pale. Haley and Billy had both been sitting at the computers watching, but now, Billy jumped up and began pacing next to the bio chamber that held the rocks. Every moment or so, he paused and glared at the rocks as if his gaze alone would be enough for them to give up their secrets. "Please tell me that didn't happen."

"I wish I could," Haley told her, her voice shaking slightly. Her team – the one she cared about, was decimated. Tommy and Trent had betrayed them, and Kira was taken. Only Connor and Ethan remained. She had never felt so helpless before. The computers alerted her to a communication coming in. Haley hit the button to accept the transmission.

"Haley, let us in," Connor's voice was blank and unfeeling. That didn't surprise her. Haley typed a few commands, and there was a slight hiss as the locking system on the entrance to the command space disengaged to admit the five rangers. She thought to herself that there should have been at least six as the door lock reengaged. "Haley," Connor began, moving straight towards her. All five had demorphed already, and she could see all of the emotions he was trying to hide in his eyes. Fear, anger, sadness, confusion, anxiety. "I couldn't stop them."

"It's not your fault," Haley told him, gently.

"Isn't it our faults?" Ethan growled angrily, punching a wall. Connor watched him. He'd never seen Ethan so dejected and angry. "We're supposed to be a team. We're supposed to protect each other."

"You did everything you could," Kimberly told him gently, walking towards the blue clad teenager and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. Her former teammates nodded agreement. However, Haley cast a hostile look at all of them.

"What would you know about being a team and protecting one another?" she growled at them, her emotions getting the better of her. For Tommy's sake, she'd played nice. She could potentially forgive most of them. But it was only because Tommy cared about Kimberly that she even tolerated being in the woman's presence. And now she was trying to give her team a pep talk, when as far as Haley was concerned, Kimberly was the individual responsible for the demise of the bonds Tommy had had with his former teammates. "You destroyed your team!" Haley hissed, and Kimberly instantly looked away, dropping her hand off Ethan's shoulder and casting her eyes to the floor.

"That's not true, or fair," Aisha defended her friend, glaring at Haley and placing her own arm around Kimberly's shoulder.

"It is most certainly true," Haley shouted. "She broke his heart. He withdrew so it could never happen again!"

"It's not all her fault," Adam stated, trying to keep his own hold on his temper. "Tommy is just as responsible, as are we," he clarified. "We made mistakes, but we all still care about each other."

"Oh really?" Haley stated with a snort of sarcastic laughter. "If you care about each other so much, where the hell were all of you when the island he was on exploded?"

"What?" Rocky shouted, while the others frowned in confusion.

"Or how about when he was in a coma?" Haley continued. "Funny, I seem to recall only Kira, Connor, Ethan, and Trent being there. Want to tell me how much you all care about each other again?"

"That's not fair, Haley," Billy told her. "We didn't know about the explosion or the coma; You didn't tell me until after he'd woken up," he added in.

"When was Tommy in a coma? Why was Tommy in a coma?" Rocky stated more than asked, looking back and forth between Connor and Ethan, and Billy, and Haley. He got that Haley was pissed at them. But he was having trouble understanding how his friend could have been in a coma and he hadn't known about it. Granted, it was similar to how he could have two children without his friend knowing. It stemmed from not being in contact with one another. From letting the bonds that once held them together fall apart.

"You all not knowing is my point exactly," Haley shouted at them. "If you all truly cared about him you would have known. You would have been there."

"He removed himself from our lives," Aisha told her, releasing her grip on Kimberly, "not the other way around," she added in.

"Tommy chose to cut himself off," Tanya added in.

"You let him. You knew what type of person he was. You let him, and it nearly destroyed him," Haley replied. "Friends don't do that," she added in, basically telling them what she thought of their so called friendship.

"Haley," Connor snapped suddenly, cutting her off before she could continue, and preventing any of the older rangers from replying. "They are his friends," he told her.

"You may not understand it," Ethan added in. "But we do," he stated.

"It's a ranger thing," Connor stated, when Haley frowned at them. "Mistakes were made, but they renewed their bonds. They do care," Connor insisted.

Sighing, Aisha shook her head. "Haley," she stated. "We understand that you're mad at us for hurting him," she explained.

"We do?" Rocky asked, anger and irritation still visible.

"Yes," Adam told him, "we do. But like Connor stated. We do care. We care about him and Trent and Kira. And Connor and Ethan," he added. "We're going to figure out how to get our friends back."

"Haley," Billy spoke and Haley turned to look at him. "We're sorry for letting you go through all of it alone." Haley took a deep breath and nodded.

"I just feel so helpless," she stated.

"We all do," Tanya assured her. "But we can't give up. The bad guys have never beaten us before, and we're not going to let them start now."

Haley nodded, and sat back down in the computer chair she'd abandoned when she started her tirade.

"Trent stated that he got what he came for," Ethan stated, looking at Billy. "Could they have been planning to capture Kira the entire time?"

"It sounds like it," Haley replied, nodding. "But he specifically said 'he' not 'they' right?"

"Yeah," Rocky stated with a nod, not looking at Haley. After nearly a decade of not speaking, he punched Tommy in the face. He was not going to forgive Haley's tirade that easily. "And he was speaking directly to Tommy, as if taunting him."

"So Tommy was after something else?" Tanya thought out loud.

"Or someone," Billy stated, frowning, and turning towards the table where the rock fragments were located. He spread his arms and placed them on the table on either side of the bio chamber, leaning his weight on his arms and lowering his face towards the clear sides to stare at them as they pulsed red.

"And Trent was taunting him?" Ethan frowned. "Maybe they're not working together as much as we thought."

"They're currently evil. Evil rangers don't typically get along with others, or each other," Billy replied, not taking his eyes off the rocks. He looked up at his friends, his eyes landing on each one of them as he thought about the lists he'd made. "Haley, have the computers identify the similar energy signature yet?"

"Yeah," Haley replied. "I just haven't looked at it yet," she stated, typing a few commands into the computer, and pulling up the data. "That's weird," she frowned at the monitors.

"What is?" Connor asked her.

"The signature is most similar to that of the meteor fragment we used to free Tommy from the amber," she stated.

"What?" Rocky asked again, throwing his hands into the air. "Alright, when this is over, we are all going to have a serious talk about what else we don't know."

"We promise," Ethan told him with a slight grin. Rocky just nodded.

"Kira mentioned a meteor. Didn't it bring out a latent side of their personalities?" Aisha asked, and Haley nodded.

"Latent?" Billy asked, running the word through his mind, as he observed the rocks. Suddenly his mouth dropped open and his face paled. "Oh god," he stated. "I know how the rock works."

"How?" Haley, Tanya, and Aisha all stated at the same time.

"It all makes sense now. Why only some of us can hear the rocks. Why it's louder for some than for others. Why Tommy and Trent kept saying things like 'it's who I am'," Billy explained, without really explaining.

"Billy," Connor stated. "Would you mind verbalizing your thoughts here, cause we're not following."

"Don't you get it?" Billy asked. "The rock brings out the latent evil personality within those who touch it," he stated.

"But I touched them unmorphed in the woods," Rocky protested.

"That's just it," Billy stated. "You've never been evil. Not even for a few minutes," he explained. "You have no latent evil for the rock to bring out."

"And you do?" Connor asked, frowning. Billy nodded.

"It happened a couple of times. Once to Kimberly and I. We were put under a spell by drinking a potion. A second time, I was hypnotized to bring the dragon dagger to Rita. And then there was the Sinister Satyr, remember? You were there."

"Oh yeah," Ethan stated. "I remember that one."

"The Sinister Satyr was the only time I've ever been evil," Adam stated, realization on his face. "It explains why I could barely hear the vibrations. I don't have much of a latent evil personality."

"And Kira makes sense too," Connor stated. "The Fossilador hypnotized her into being evil. It wasn't long, but it sounds like that may have been enough to make her subject to the rock's power?"

"I believe so," Billy stated with a nod. He looked around the room, frowning. "Where's Kimberly?" he asked. Everyone looked around, frowning when they realized that she wasn't there.

* * *

Hope you're all enjoying. Chapters 45-47 are finished, and Chapter 48 is about half done. Chapter 46 thus far is my favorite in this final little story arc. I must say I'm extremely pleased with how its coming out of my head. There will be a few little twists here and there as we reach the ending, and the sequel is itching to get out. It'll be a shorter plot than this one, I believe, but still hopefully just as enjoyable.

If you've got a moment, please leave a review. I love reading about what you enjoyed most.

Thanks,

Fateless


	45. Chapter 45

"Wakey wakey Kira," Trent's voice ripped through her subconscious, however there was something off about it; something darker and colder than she remembered. She groaned slightly as she blinked open her eyes and found Trent's face within inches of her own. She tried to jerk backwards as she remembered Trent was currently evil and that she'd been grabbed during the battle. However, her back was pressed against something hard and her arms and legs were cinched down. Trent smirked and stood up as she struggled against her bindings.

"Let me go Trent," she spoke, meeting his eyes with her own, and glaring at him.

"No can do, Kira," he replied, stepping away. Kira looked him over, frowning when she realized all he wore was a pair of pants and two glowing red rocks around his neck. The rocks were humming, and Kira knew immediately that they were part of the boulder responsible for her teammates' side switch. She jerked harder at her bonds. While she didn't know what being able to hear the rocks meant, logic determined that she really didn't want to find out. "Mesogog wants you right where you are."

"I'm not letting him kill me so he can take the dino gem," Kira retorted. "I'll never give up that easily, and you know it," she spat. Trent snickered and shook his head, casting his eyes up at someone who was apparently standing behind the stretcher she was bound to.

"Cute," Tommy's voice reached her ears. "She thinks she has a choice in what happens next," he added, his voice becoming louder as he walked closer to her. He rounded the stretcher so that he was within her view. He was dressed similarly to Trent, his pants black instead of white. He also wore a pair of matching glowing rocks. Kira took a deep breath and went to scream, but Tommy slapped his hand over her mouth. Kira glared at him and bit down, causing Tommy to jerk his hand away, and exam the blood from where she'd broken the skin. "I'd almost forgotten how feisty she is," he smirked.

"Touch me again and see what happens," Kira threatened, glaring at him. Despite his appearance, Kira easily separated the man currently in her view from her teacher, mentor, and friend. She wouldn't hurt him unless necessary, but it was beginning to appear that hurting both of them might be the only way out. She took her eyes off him for a moment and looked down at herself. She wore nothing but a thin spaghetti strap cotton dress in yellow that ended at her knees. She knew she hadn't put it on herself, but glancing at the two other occupants of the room, she felt sick as she tried not to imagine who had put her in it.

"Don't try and use your ptera scream again," Trent told her, placing his drago sword against her throat. Despite being out of morph, both rangers had their weapons. Kira gulped and nodded, trying to keep her calm enough to think of a way out of the mess she was in. She was having a hard time keeping her eyes off the rocks around Tommy and Trent's necks, which was making thinking more and more difficult by the minute.

"You two are like cats playing with a mouse," Elsa's voice joined the group. Instantly, as if by command, both Tommy and Trent took stepped back, their eyes glazing over slightly. Kira thought she briefly saw a look of fear in them. Elsa came into Kira's view, spinning a baton with a red gem at the top. Kira glared at it for a moment, before allowing her sight to rest on Mesogog's general. Elsa smirked at her before turning her back on the strapped down yellow ranger and focusing on the two men. "What happened to you?" she asked Tommy, noticing a few drops of red blood on the floor at his feet. He still held his fingers in his other hand.

"She bit me," Tommy replied simply with a shrug of his shoulders. Elsa rolled her eyes and turned to face Kira again.

"I can see why Mesogog wanted her," she replied, studying the girl, leaning her face down towards Kira's. Kira drew back her head, and spat in Elsa's face, before struggling against her bonds again. Elsa growled, and struck Kira against the side of her face with her palm, leaving a red welt where skin met skin. Kira bit down on her own lip to avoid crying out. "I'd sooner have her killed," Elsa stated, grabbing Kira's chin, and forcing her to meet her gaze. "But you won't be doing that again any time soon," she added with a smirk. "Who wants to do the honors?" Elsa called back over her shoulder at the two men.

Trent smirked and stepped forward as Elsa released Kira and began walking back out the way she'd come. "I'll leave you to it," she told them leaving Kira's view. Kira watched as almost in slow motion, Trent moved toward her, removing one of the stones from around his neck. Kira's eyes shot wide as he brought it closer to her, immediately understanding why she was strapped to the chair and not already dead. Mesogog didn't want her destroyed. He wanted her alive, and subject to his control like Tommy and Trent clearly were.

"Stay away from me," Kira growled, fighting her bonds harder. She drew in a deep breath, attempting to summon another ptera scream to drive him away, but Trent moved faster. He slipped the leather cord over her neck, and Kira felt a jolt as the rock touched her skin. Had she not been bound to the stretcher, she would have been tossed backward. Her skin warmed where the rock touched. It began to glow a bright steady red, as her mind clouded over and she drifted back into the realms of unconsciousness.

* * *

Adam came running back down the stairs into the command post where everyone else was gathered, carrying both Luke and a bottle. He cast one hesitant glance at the rocks that were still glowing inside the bio chamber. Now that he knew their capabilities, he was more than a little nervous around them. The look on Billy's face told Adam that the former blue ranger and zeo tech felt the same way. He made eye contact with Billy, Rocky, and Aisha, the others who had been Kimberly's teammates. "She's not upstairs," he told them. "How could she get out?" he added, handing baby and bottle to his mother. "He was crying when I got up there. I didn't want him to wake Katie," he explained and Aisha nodded.

"I told you," Haley stated, with a bit of an exasperated sigh. "The lock down is designed to let you out, but not back in. She didn't need me to take it down to get out."

"So she's definitely not here?" Rocky asked, looking back at his former teammates. Adam shook his head. Aisha sat on the sofa, giving Luke a bottle, but she was staring off into the distance, not really focusing on anything. Tanya sat beside her. Connor and Ethan studied the walls, while Billy sat near Haley on the steps that led to the computer platform.

"This is your fault," Tanya snapped, looking up and glaring at Haley. "You had to put all the blame for Tommy going AWOL on her," she told Haley, pushing herself off the couch and stalking towards the dino thunder team's tech. Billy jumped and maneuvered himself in front of the woman, knowing exactly what Tanya was capable of, while Adam grabbed hold of her shoulders, steering Tanya away.

"Lay off her Tanya," Adam told his fiancé, who turned her glare on him. Adam raised an eyebrow, silently telling her that he wasn't going to let her through. She deepened her glare and shrugged herself out of his hold, but didn't try to push past him. "Haley was only trying to protect Tommy," Adam continued.

"Yeah," Rocky stated with a bit of a sarcastic laugh. "Cause he needs so much protection," he added rolling his eyes. Adam turned his gaze on his friend, giving him a glare of his own. Rocky sighed and shook his head. "Sorry," he muttered, casting his eyes to the ground.

"You're both right," Haley stated. "I took things too far," she added, standing up. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry doesn't bring her back," Rocky muttered. With Tommy gone, Rocky felt responsible for his teammates. Kimberly was his responsibility and she was somewhere only Zordon knew, with two, possibly three, pyscho rangers on the loose. The idea made him sick to his stomach.

"You're right," Haley stated with a nod, her mouth set in a grim line. "But I'll do what I can to help find her." Billy nodded, and moved a bit out from between her and the irritated zeo rangers.

"We can't fight amongst ourselves," Billy told his friends, meeting each of their gazes. "Emotions are running extremely high right now," he added. "And that's not going to help us find a solution."

"Billy's right," Aisha stated, rocking Luke slightly in her arms. "Right now, we've got to come up with a way of finding Kimberly. She's alone, she's obviously upset, and most importantly, she doesn't know the danger those rocks possess, especially to her." She sighed and looked up from her son's face and made eye contact with Haley. "Haley," she stated. "I'm sorry for blaming you. You said what you felt. No one should fault you for that. I'm sorry for not being there for Tommy. You're right, we should have been. None of us should have lost contact with one another. But we did. And now we're dealing with the fall out. We need each other and we definitely need your help. What do you say? Can we try and put this behind us and start over?"

"Yeah," Haley stated with a nod. "You're right. I'm sorry too," she stated. "I really am."

"Alright," Adam told her, simply. He looked at Tanya and Rocky who each sighed and nodded. "So, first thing's first. We find Kim?" Adam suggested. Billy and Haley nodded in response.

"Haley is the locator device that you created still functional?" Ethan asked, turning to face his team's tech. Haley paused for a moment, considering his idea and then nodded.

"That could definitely work," Haley replied, turning her back on the rangers and heading to the computers. "I just need to reprogram it for Reefside coordinates, but I should definitely be able to do it."

"Good," Connor stated. "But we can't guarantee we'll find her in time," he stated, pushing himself away from the wall, and sighing, his face grim. "We need to make sure there's a way to turn them all back in case we're too late."

"We won't be too late," Ethan told him, but Connor shook his head.

"Dude," he stated, with a slight grin. "Tommy would be proud of your hope," he laughed, specifying the teenager version of their leader they had spent two weeks with. "But Dr. O taught us to make sure all our bases are covered."

"Yeah yeah," Ethan smirked in response. "Billy? Any ideas?"

"Not yet," Billy replied. "But I might be able to come up with something if I could exam the rocks outside the bio chamber."

"No time like the present to get started," Connor told him. "Adam, you shouldn't stay down here," he told the green zeo ranger. Adam looked like he was going to protest for a moment, but then cast a look at the rock which seemed to glow extra bright, as if taunting him. He shuddered slightly and sighed, giving a nod in response.

"Katie will be awake soon. I can help Aisha with her," he stated, looking at his friend. She gave him a smile and a nod, standing up and leading the way to the stairs.

"Rocky?" she called over her shoulder, as Adam followed her, after giving Tanya a slight kiss, and whispering something to her that sounded suspiciously like 'try not to kill Haley'.

"Yeah?" he asked his wife.

"Don't let Billy touch those rocks," she stated simply. It was a simple command, but Rocky understood every emotion she put behind it. He set his face into a calm mask and nodded once, silently promising her that nothing would happen to their blue ranger. Aisha nodded back and led Adam up the stairs, Luke nestled in her arms.

* * *

Kimberly had slipped out of the room the moment Aisha had released her. She'd been fighting to hold back her tears since the moment Haley's words had cut into her like knives, but she hadn't wanted her friends to see how much the words had affected her. Everything Haley said was true, and that's what made it sting so badly. She was the one who had broken Tommy's heart. She was the cause of him isolating himself. She was the reason no one knew he'd been on an island that exploded, or had ended up in a coma. She hated herself for it at that moment. She hated Haley for making her realize it. And she hated Tommy for telling Haley about their past. So as she escaped the house and began to run through the woods, hot tears of both anger and sadness dripped down her cheeks, obscuring her vision, and making her stumble every so often.

However, she didn't stop moving. She summoned every inch of energy she had and thrust it into the speed at which she ran. The motion of her legs moving and striking the ground served to sooth her as much as it did to put distance between her and the rest of her friends. Her mind was in complete and utter chaos; tons of emotions bounced around in her head, adding to her confusion. More than anything, she wanted to leave Reefside, turn her back on everything and everyone and isolate herself as punishment for what she'd done. However, there was an equally strong part of herself that wished she had come clean to Tommy the previous night and told him that the reason she had come to Reefside for the past three years looking for him was because she still loved him. But how could he possibly still have feelings for her after everything she had done. After all the pain and suffering she'd apparently caused him. Sure, he'd admitted as much when he'd kissed her during his time travel; but in all honesty, hormones were running rampant then as well, and it wasn't her that he had kissed, it was her seventeen year old self. Wasn't there a difference?

Kimberly finally slowed her running down to a walking pace, as her tears began to dry up. She had slowly brought her breathing to a steady rhythm as she walked, trying to clear her mind. It was only when she slowed that she realized how stupid she'd been. She'd acted like a willful teenager, sneaking off when the emotions got the best of her. And unfortunately, she'd put herself in danger. She looked around, realizing she didn't know where she was, or even remotely which direction she had come. Which meant she had no idea how to get back. She was unprotected and at risk. If Trent and Tommy had captured Kira in full morph, what chance did she even have?

"Stupid," Kimberly muttered to herself, swiveling her head as she tried to pick a direction to go in.

"That's not surprising," Tommy's cold voice reached her ears, as he stepped out from behind a tree nearby her, cutting off her path. He had been following her, invisibly since nearly the moment she'd left the command. Kimberly stumbled backwards, her back colliding with the trunk of another tree as she took him in. He was barefoot and shirtless. Two stones hung on leather cords around his neck, glowing and humming. Kimberly tore her eyes away from them and looked up at his face. "You never were the smartest person." She remembered the tone of his voice from years ago. She hated that tone more than anything in the world.

"You followed me?" Kimberly asked, although it was more of a statement. Tommy smirked at her, moving closer, slowly. Kimberly slid around the tree she was backed against and continued to move backwards, making sure she didn't turn her back on him. Her eyes darted off of him for a moment, looking for his back up.

"Of course," Tommy snickered at her. "Oh, don't worry. He's not here. It's just you and me, Pink Ranger."

"I haven't been the pink ranger in a long time, Tommy," she stated, trying to keep her cool. Tommy just smirked.

"I remember," he told her. "You let Kat take your place. Another of your stupid moves, Kimberly."

"Shut up," she snapped at him, her eyes darting back to the rocks around his neck. Their buzzing was beginning to infiltrate her mind, much like the shards Rocky had brought back with him. She was having a hard time focusing on where she placed her feet, and as a result, she tumbled backwards onto the ground. Supporting herself on her hands and on her feet, Kimberly scrambled backwards as Tommy continued to advance. He laughed. The same way he'd laughed at the original power rangers years ago. It sent a shudder through her spine.

"You were always so stupid," Tommy told her, snickering and shaking his head. "But," he added, with a slight pause. "You were mine."

"Leave me alone Tommy," she spat back at him, as Tommy continued to close the space between them. Kimberly was mentally cursing herself. She knew she was powerless. Why had she left the command post?

"Oh Kimmy," Tommy laughed. "You don't want that, now do you? We both know we're meant to be together, so stop fighting it."

"Not like this Tommy," she told him. "This isn't right," she added, unable to crawl any further away from him as she was backed up against a small cliff face. Tommy stopped directly in front of her, and reached a hand down to her. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her to her feet so that she was barely inches away from him. She could hear him breathing and hear his heart beating; but mostly, she could hear the sound of the rocks buzzing and humming, calling out to her. She couldn't struggle against his grip. She didn't even look up to meet his eyes. Hers were locked onto the stones, even as he released her and took one of the leather cords off of his neck and gently placed it over her head. He pulled the neck of her blouse outward so that the piece of rock fell beneath it, settling against her skin. And he caught her as her body was flung backwards slightly, and she slipped unconscious.

* * *

Kira blinked a few times, letting her eyes slowly adjust to the dimly lit room she found herself in. She sat up, glancing around the room, and holding her head in one hand. It hurt and there was a constant buzzing that only intensified the pain. She took a few deep breaths, trying to get her bearings, as she ran her eyes over the stone walls. On one side of the room was a sink with a round mirror above it. The wall perpendicular to that one held a single, cell like door. The other two walls were bare. She sat on the edge of a metal cot, a small trunk at its foot. There was a second metal cot in the room with its own trunk beside her.

"Oh good," Elsa's voice reached her. "You're awake," she taunted. Kira's head snapped up and her eyes locked onto the black leather clad woman who leaned against the wall with the door, just to the right of the exit. Kira snarled, and leapt forward, arms extended in front of her as she attempted to wrap her fingers around Elsa's neck. "Uh uh uh," Elsa stated, not even flinching at the sight of the yellow ranger moving toward her. The woman spun the baton she carried and its gem flashed. The buzzing in Kira's head grew louder and the pain intensified, causing her to halt in her tracts. Beyond the pain, Kira felt a weight around her neck, and she glanced down to her chest to see a stone hanging there, glowing a bright red as Elsa spun the baton. "Good girl," Elsa patronized her, as if speaking to a pet. "You learn quickly," she added in, and stopped the spinning. The pain in Kira's mind lessened a bit and she looked up at the woman. "Now then," Elsa continued. "What do you say we get started on your conditioning?"

"Conditioning?" Kira asked, frowning. "How about I tell you where you can shove that stick of yours?" she growled.

Elsa just laughed at her and took a step closer to the girl. Kira, unconsciously, took a step backwards, causing Elsa to smirk. Kira frowned. She wasn't afraid of Elsa. Why had she moved?

"You don't have a choice, little girl."

"Call me that again," Kira hissed, her eyes cold. She lunged toward Elsa again, but the woman just twisted her baton, causing the pain in Kira's mind to return. Kira winced at the pain and brought her hands to her head.

"Stubborn one, aren't you," Elsa told her. "Good thing Mesogog created this thing, or you three would be uncontrollable. Just out there doing whatever you wanted," she added, admiring the baton she held in her hands. "Now," she laughed. "Do I need to use it again, or are you going to start behaving and following orders?" Kira just glared at her, opening and closing her fists, breathing in and out in frustration. She hated Elsa. Granted, she couldn't really identify anyone she liked at the moment. She was pretty sure she hated everyone. Trent and Tommy had done this to her; it was Connor and Ethan's fault she had gotten captured; Haley and the older rangers hadn't mounted a rescue for her. What made Kimberly so special that she warranted rescue, while Kira was left there? She would kill them all if she could.

"What do you want me to do?" Kira finally hissed out, not breaking her glare.

Elsa smirked. "You're going to go to the training room," she told the teenager. "You can thrash the person you find in there as much as you want, but you can't kill them. Just get your frustration out," Elsa told her. "Follow me," she stated, turning her back to the girl in yellow. Kira frowned and squared her shoulders, following Elsa, only because she didn't want to feel the pain in her brain again.

Elsa led the way through a series of corridors. Kira tried to memorize their path so she wouldn't get lost if she had to find her own way back to the dorm or back to the training room on her own. Elsa finally came to a stop outside a set of large metal doors. She pointed at them with her baton. "In there. I'll be watching, so remember what I said about not killing."

"Whatever," Kira growled, shrugging her shoulders, but there was a hint of fear in her eyes when they landed on the baton in Elsa's hands. Elsa smirked again and walked off, leaving Kira standing outside what she assumed was the training room. She took a deep breath and pushed open on of the doors, her eyes examining a large, barren, and entirely white washed room. It was lit with harsh florescent lights which, after the dim light of the dorm and hallways, hurt Kira's eyes. She shielded them for a moment, blinking as she tried to take in her surroundings.

"You!" a familiar voice called out from the opposite end of the room, disbelief and cruel amusement in the tone. "This will be fun," the individual added as Kira's eyes finally focused on Trent. He was still clad in only a pair of pants, which didn't surprise her. She was still wearing the yellow cotton dress. However, the stone that he'd placed around her neck hadn't been replaced. Instead of two, he now only had one.

"This is all your fault," she told him, glaring and shifting into a fighting stance.

"Fault?" Trent laughed. "You should be thanking me," he told her.

"For what?" Kira spat in response. "Making me Mesogog and Elsa's play toy. Because I'm really thankful for that, Trent," she growl.

"It's a small price to pay to get to be who you really are," Trent told her, shifting his stance as well. Both rangers began to circle one another slowly.

"Who I really am?" Kira told him. "Is that what you call this? For your information, I liked who I was before. Now, I hate everyone," she told him. "Including you."

"Ouch," he mocked. "I'm wounded. You should be grateful. You no longer have to take orders from Connor."

"No, now I take them from Elsa. That's a huge improvement," she yelled at him, darting inwards and striking at him. Trent countered her fist, catching it on his forearm, before pushing it away, and delivering a blow towards her stomach. Kira blocked with both arms in a crisscross pattern over her torso. Both teenagers leapt away from each other, panting due to the speed they'd needed to counter one another, still glaring at one another.

"It is," Trent told her. "No rules to follow. Destroy whatever you want," he added.

"What I want is to destroy you and the rest of the power rangers," Kira growled. "But Elsa won't let me."

"Oh," Trent laughed. "She'll let you kill them," he added in. "That's the point of it. The more of us there are, the less of them there will be."

"Us?" Kira snickered. "What us? I'm pretty sure I've covered the fact that I hate you," she spat. Trent snickered and shook his head, before beginning another round of attacks. Kira defended against most of them, but at one point his foot collided with her shoulder, sending her stumbling backward to the floor. He approached her, and sneered down at her for a moment, before offering her his hand. Kira glared at him, but reached up and took it. Catching him off guard, Kira yanked him down, rolling him over her shoulder and pinning him to the floor, her fist on his throat so that she was cutting off his breathing, her other fist raised in the air to strike at his face.

"Yellow Ranger!" Elsa's voice called over what Kira assumed were loud speakers as the woman was nowhere to be seen. "Let him up," she stated each word slowly. Kira hesitated for a moment, pressing against Trent's wind pipe even harder. "I said release him," Elsa commanded. "I won't tell you again," she stated. Kira growled, knowing that if she didn't, her head wouldn't appreciate it. Angrily, she removed her hand from his throat, and pushed herself into a standing position, not turning her back on Trent.

Trent coughed slightly, rubbing at his throat, before rolling onto his stomach and pressing himself to his feet. He turned back to face Kira, glaring at her. Kira shifted back into a defensive position, and raised her eyebrow at him. Trent exhaled sharply and moved towards her again, ready to attack. However, before he could, Kira was hit in the side and sent to ground. Trent followed her body before turning his head to see what had struck her. His eyes settled on Tommy and he sunk into more of a glare. Kira, caught herself and rolled to her feet, twisting at the ankles and glaring back at her attacker.

"What did you do that for?" Trent growled at Tommy.

"She got the best of you once. Didn't want you to embarrass yourself by letting it happen again," he told Trent. He turned away from Trent and let his eyes fall on the still crouched yellow ranger. He smirked at her. "Hello Kira," he told her.

"Dr. Oliver," she muttered, deepening her glare. He snickered at her and then turned his back on both of them.

"It's lunch time," he told them both. "I worked up quite an appetite."

"Your mission went well then?" Trent asked him, falling out of attack stance and walking towards him. Kira didn't move. Tommy nodded and then looked back over his shoulder at Kira who was standing, but hadn't made a motion to leave. Trent followed his gaze. "Coming?" he asked her.

"I'm not hungry," she spat at them.

"You'll learn soon enough, that either you eat when fed, or you don't eat at all," Tommy told her, turning back around and shaking his head. Trent shrugged and followed him out the door. Kira sighed and decided the best thing to do would be to follow, in case Elsa got any bright ideas with her baton.

* * *

Hoped you enjoyed that. I have everything through the end of Chapter 49 finished. I do believe I am 1 maybe 2 chapters at most away from finishing this. If you've stuck with it since the beginning, I do hope you like the ending, I'm quite pleased with how its coming. Next chapter is one of my favorites (not counting the ending of Chapter 49 which has officially garnered my favorite scene).

Reviews loved and appreciated as always.

Fateless


	46. Chapter 46

I have officially finished this story. I'll make some minor edits here and there between now and posting the remaining chapters, but the plot is finished and it ended exactly how I always imagined it to with some fun events in between. So, now I'm off to start work on the sequel. If I get far enough into it, you might get a preview at at the end of the final chapter.

Hope you all enjoy my favorite chapter thus far.

* * *

Haley ran her hand over her face as she stared down at the screen of the tracking device she'd been re-calibrating. For a moment, she'd had Kimberly's signal coming in strong, and then a moment later it was gone. She hadn't said anything yet, because she was desperately hoping that there was something wrong with it. Unfortunately, everything she'd investigated said that the device was fully functional and operating perfectly; which could only mean one thing. Connor had been right and they definitely needed the backup plan.

Ethan caught sight of the worry on Haley's face from where he was working with Billy investigating the rocks, acting as his older counterpart's hands. Connor and Rocky stood on either side of Billy, watching him like a hawk and making sure his hands went nowhere near the rocks. Ethan set his scanner down and walked over to her. "Haley? What's wrong?" he asked, quietly, not wanting to alert the others just yet.

"We were too late," she stated simply.

"What do you mean?" he questioned, frowning. Haley shook her head and handed him the device, casting her gaze to the floor.

"She's gone. The locator picked up her trail not far from here. One moment she was there, and then next she was gone. There's only one way she could have disappeared like that."

"You're sure the tracker isn't just malfunctioning?" Ethan asked, turning the device over in his hands and examining it. Haley shook her head again, but didn't speak for a moment.

"It's my fault."

"It's no one's fault," Ethan stated. "Except Mesogog. The more we investigate that rock, the more I'm sure it's his doing," he added in, looking over at Billy, Rocky, and Connor. Tanya had retreated upstairs with Aisha and Adam.

"Damn it," Billy suddenly cursed, hitting his fist against the table. Rocky and Connor jumped slightly as the former blue ranger gripped his head with his hands. "I can't think straight," he muttered, angrily.

"I think it might be time to put the stones away," Connor stated, and Rocky nodded agreement. Between the two of them, they got the rocks back in the bio chamber and helped Billy sit down in a chair, handing him a glass of water. Haley stood up and grabbed a bottle of aspirin, offering him two tablets.

"From what I can tell, the rock operates based on an energy signature that draws out a specific latent quality within an individual. Mesogog seems to have perfected it, so that it harnesses dark thoughts and intentions and brings them forward," Billy explained, taking the tablets and water and swallowing them. He gave Haley a brief smile of thanks. "But it will only work on those who have experienced those types of personality traits before. It's like a magnet," he continued. "It attracts those who possess the qualities. The longer and harder we resist, the more painful it becomes," he stated, rubbing his temples with the index finger and thumb of his right hand.

"We can't get rid of those traits within the others," Connor stated. "It's part of who they are."

"Precisely the problem," Billy stated. "So I'm thinking the only way to fix it would be to counteract the energy signature from the stones as they manifest within a human being. My theory is there is an alteration in the brain waves of the individuals infected."

"That makes sense," Haley stated.

"Problem is," Billy continued, "I'm having difficulty pinpointing exactly how to counteract the energy signature because I haven't had the opportunity to see differences in the brain activity of someone infected. I've got a few ideas that I think would be successful, but I have no way of testing them."

"There may be only one way," Rocky stated, shaking his head. "And you and I both know what it is," he told Billy, who sighed and nodded.

"I don't want to risk it. What if this is a permanent change? What if I can't find a way to change the brain waves back to normal?" Billy told him. Ethan, Connor, and Haley frowned at the two of them.

"If it's the only chance," Rocky told his friend, "then it has to be risked. We've got two options."

"What are you guys talking about?" Connor interrupted.

"Billy needs a test subject," Rocky stated. "Someone has to touch the rock, so that Billy can try to reverse the energy signature that it's giving off. We won't know if it works without being able to test it."

"Hell no," Connor stated. "None of you guys are touching those things. We've already got two confirmed evil rangers running around out there. Possibly three, as I'm pretty sure that's what Mesogog will do now that he's got Kira. We do not need to deal with any others."

"Connor," Rocky stated, shaking his head. "It may be the only way to get them back. Besides, Adam and Kim are the only ones who can make the choice. It can't be Billy," he continued. "He needs to help Haley devise the counter energy signature."

"It'll have to be Adam," Haley stated, shaking her head.

"You can't find her?" Billy asked. Haley sighed and shook her head.

"I did find her," Haley stated, "But I think someone else found her first. She's not in Reefside anymore."

"Damn it," Rocky cursed. If there was one thing that he thought would be worse than an evil version of Tommy, it was an evil version of Tommy and Kimberly on the loose. He pulled his wrist to his mouth and pressed the button on his communicator.

"Go ahead," Adam's voice told him, barely above a whisper.

"You alone?" Rocky asked him.

"The girls fell asleep waiting for Katie to wake up. Luke's out too. What's up?"

"Come down here," Rocky told him simply. "Alone," he added, ending the transmission. He set his expression into as stoic of one as possible.

"I don't like this idea," Connor stated and Ethan nodded agreement with his leader.

"Tough," Rocky told him. "It's not yours to make," he added in.

"So what's going on?" Adam asked, walking into the command post. Billy looked pale, while Haley wore an expression that seemed to be masking whatever her true feelings were. Connor and Ethan looked angry, and Rocky looked resigned, agitated, and worried all at once. "I'm not going to like this, am I?" he asked his best friend, who shook his head in response.

"Kimberly's gone," Rocky told him. "There's a pretty good chance Tommy, which means Mesogog, has her."

"Again," Adam growled in response, punching his left palm with his right fist. He cast his gaze to the floor for a few moments before looking up again. "But that's not it. If it was, you wouldn't have had me leave Aisha and Tanya upstairs."

"Adam, this has to be your decision. Billy thinks," Rocky began, looking over at his friend, and shaking his head. "Billy, you'd better explain."

Billy nodded and leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees. "I think I can devise a way to counteract the energy in the rock that is causing the dark personalities of our friends to be brought to the surface. Unfortunately, I can't know for sure unless I have someone to test it on."

"And with Kimberly gone, that leaves me," Adam stated, with a nod, understanding what his two former teammates were explaining. "You need me to touch the rocks and go evil so that you can try and cure me?"

"That's the gist of it," Rocky stated. Connor glared, and Ethan muttered something about it being a bad idea. Adam just shook his head slightly at the two teenagers.

"When do we start?" he asked, flicking his wrists and removing his zeonizers. He held them out for Rocky to take. Rocky blinked for a moment. He'd expected Adam to be willing, but he hadn't expected him to make the decision so quickly. He nodded and took the zeonizers from his friend, as Adam began to remove his communicator as well. Once he had all three pieces, Rocky handed them to Ethan, who opened a small safe and placed them inside.

"If you're going to do this, we should enclose you in a force field. Even without the ability to morph, you're going to be dangerous," Haley stated, and Adam nodded his understanding. "Besides, we need to keep a hold on you and keep you away from Mesogog."

"I'd prefer if we could do this out in the woods. I don't want to be here," Adam stated.

"I don't know how long it will take me to find a way to reverse it," Billy told him, pushing himself out of the chair and walking towards him. "It could be hours or days," he added.

"I'll be fine. This place needs to stay safe for all of you, and especially for Katie and Luke. I will not put them in danger," Adam insisted, meeting Rocky's eyes. His best friend exhaled sharply and nodded. "And I'd rather do this sooner than later. Tanya and Aisha will try and stop me if they know about it."

"Ethan," Haley commanded, nodding to Adam. "There's a force field generator on the top shelf in the back," she told him.

"Haley," Connor stated, frowning as Ethan reluctantly went to fetch what she asked for. "We've been working together for a while now, but it never ceases to amazing me that you have all this stuff ready."

"I try and be ready for anything," she replied, with a slight smirk. Connor sighed and shook his head, looking over at Adam.

"Are you absolutely positive you want to do this?" Connor asked him, and Adam nodded, his face set in a determined expression. "Billy said he isn't a hundred percent sure that the effects of the rock aren't permanent."

"I trust Billy," Adam told Connor, patting the younger ranger on the shoulder. "He has never led me wrong or failed me before."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Billy stated, shaking his head. "Way to add the pressure."

"I do this, you've got a minimum of three of us to save. More likely five. That enough pressure for you?" Adam asked him.

"I've faced worse," he stated, with a cynical grin on his face. "You guys got the force field ready?" he asked Haley, looking past Connor, Adam, and Rocky, to where the current blue ranger was standing holding three large crystalline devices. Ethan was talking logistics with Haley while she typed on the computer.

"Just finished programing it," Haley stated. "Ethan will set it," she explained, "and I'll switch it on from here when the boys give me the go ahead."

"Right. Billy, you stay here. Connor, Ethan, and I will go out with Adam," he stated, but Billy shook his head.

"If we're doing this, the more information we can get the better. I want a bio scan of Adam once he's turned," Billy stated, trying to be as delicate about his choice of words as he could. Adam looked a bit pale, but still determined.

"Can't Ethan take the scan?" Rocky asked, really not liking the idea of Billy being near the rocks or near another evil ranger. He, Connor, and Ethan had the capability of morphing if necessary. Billy didn't. "Just tell him exactly what you need."

"Billy," Connor spoke up. "He's got a point. Please?" he added in.

"Fine," Billy stated reluctantly, and Connor sighed with relief. He felt he'd failed to protect Kira, and Kimberly, and even Tommy and Trent. He couldn't protect Adam from the choice he was making, but knowing Billy would stay behind made him feel slightly better. He accepted the bio scanner from Billy since Ethan's hands were full with the force field.

"Let's get going before Tanya and Aisha wake up," Adam pleaded, and Rocky nodded, reaching into the bio chamber and pulled out a stone fragment. He caught Adam watching it from the corner of his eye.

"Connor," Haley called to the teenager. Connor's head snapped up so that his gaze rested on her. "Take him about a mile into the woods. There's a small cave that will keep him from being too exposed to the elements if he's got to be out there for a while."

"Well, that's a comfort," Adam laughed cynically, shaking his head. Connor nodded, and together the four men left the command post, Haley, and Billy behind.

It didn't take them long to find the cave that Haley had mentioned. Adam paused outside it and took a deep breath, before leading the other three inside. The cave wasn't deep, so the ambient light reached all the way to the back wall. Ethan set up the three crystalline devices the moment they were inside, so they created a triangle that was about four feet wide at its greatest point.

"You ready?" he turned and asked Adam, who shook his head. Connor handed Ethan the bio scanner he carried.

"I don't have a choice," Adam replied. "Could you three morph first? I don't want to do this without taking every precaution," he stated. It was partially true. The other part was that he didn't want to see their faces. He was scared enough as it is. Rocky nodded, and the three of them morphed, leaving Adam staring at two blue rangers and a red one. He sighed and nodded once, before walking into the circle of stones that Ethan had set up. He turned back to face the rangers, trying to keep the fear out of his eyes. He was willingly allowing himself to be turned evil. And he was doing it without the guarantee that he could be turned back.

"You're sure about this?" Rocky asked his friend, for the first time outwardly mirroring Connor's concern. He hadn't wanted Adam to know how worried he was before. Adam nodded once.

"Rocky," he stated, struggling to keep his voice even. "Please do your best to explain it to Tanya? And don't bring her here. Don't let her see me," he told his best friend. Rocky nodded and swallowed his emotions. "I don't know what I'm going to say or do," Adam added in, casting his eyes to the floor of the cave.

"We won't take any of it personally," Connor assured him.

"Billy will find a way to get you all back," Rocky added in and Adam attempted a weak smile. It didn't last long.

"Let's get this over with," Adam told them, and Rocky stepped forward, extending his hand and flipping it over so that it was palm up, revealing the piece of the rock he'd taken with him. It glowed red every few moments. Adam stared at it, but the other three didn't rush him. They understood the risk he was taking and the sacrifice that went with it. "What's going to happen?" he asked, casting his eyes away from the stone and to Rocky's helmet covered face. His hand that he'd extended to touch the rock withdrew.

"It'll throw you backwards, probably," Rocky told him. "As soon as you're unconscious, Connor will contact Haley to activate the force field around you. You won't be able to get out. My guess is you'll come to pretty quickly. At that point, Ethan will scan you with the bio scanner and he and Connor will get the info back to Billy."

"You need to go too," Adam told him. "You promised you'd explain it to Tanya."

"I don't want to leave you," Rocky told him sternly.

"And I don't want you to stay," Adam stated, he insisted. "Promise me you'll go," he added in. Rocky took a deep breath, considering his friends words and then nodded slowly. Adam swallowed and exhaled sharply, frowning and reaching his hand forward again towards the rock. He hesitated for a brief moment, before allowing his fingertips to brush against the hard stone surface.

Rocky was right. The rock flashed bright red and thrust Adam backwards. He hit the back wall of the cave and slid down, but otherwise stayed within the confines of the force field devices. Rocky instantly wrapped his fingers back around the stone and withdrew his hand.

"Now Haley," Rocky heard Connor state behind him. He didn't turn to look at the red ranger. Instead he crouched down, resting his elbows on his knees as he watched an electrical looking force appear between each of the three points on the triangle that Ethan had set up, completely circling Adam. He took a few deep breaths, searching signs that Adam was still alive. He pin pointed the rise and fall of his friend's chest, and let out a sigh of relief, stood, and turned to face Ethan and Connor. Connor was leaned back against the cave wall, while Ethan stood a bit closer, turning the bio scanner on.

"He's alive," Rocky stated, and Connor nodded. Rocky could tell from his stance that the teenage red ranger was anxious. If he was truthful with himself, he was too. He turned back around to watch Adam.

The three rangers didn't have to wait long. Within seconds, Adam began to stir, quietly. He flexed his finger tips and pushed himself into a sitting position, clutching his head in his hands. Connor stepped away from the wall, walking closer to Rocky and Ethan, instantly dropping himself into a defensive position. Rocky glanced at him, but didn't shift his stance to mirror the teenagers. He turned his focus back onto Adam, as the unmorphed ranger stood up slowly, using the cave wall to help steady himself.

"Adam?" Rocky spoke gently, trying to get his attention. Adam shook his head and rubbed his hand over his face, blinking his eyes a few times. He turned his head towards Rocky's voice, and zeo ranger three saw recognition flash briefly in his gaze before his eyes fell into a deep glare, and he charged forward, only to hit the force field and be driven backwards.

"Let me out of here!" Adam yelled, moving back towards the force field. He pounded his fists against it, trying to beat his way free. "Let me out," he added, his volume increasing. Rocky took a step back, disturbed by the pure hatred he saw in Adam's eyes.

"Scan him," Rocky commanded Ethan, turning away from his friend. Ethan nodded and took a single step closer to the imprisoned former ranger. Adam snapped his head to the side to glare at Ethan as he raised the scanner.

"Get that damn thing away from me you waste of human existence," Adam growled, lunging toward the teenage blue ranger. Externally, Ethan ignored him. Internally, he was nervous. Even angry, he'd never seen Adam so explosive before. He knew it was the rock's doing, but it still freaked him out. "When I get out of here, you'll all wish you were dead," Adam shouted, flicking both of his wrists, and glaring when his zeonizers didn't appear.

"Took those away from you, remember," Rocky told him, his voice flat and even. Adam snarled in response.

"You're going to die first," Adam told him. "Or maybe I'll kill Katie and Luke and make you watch," he stated, reigning in his temper slightly. He curled his lip in a slight smirk, noticing the tensing of Rocky's body. He couldn't see Rocky's face, but he knew he'd struck a nerve. Adam continued to ignore Ethan who was still scanning him, and focused solely on Rocky. "You wouldn't like that, now would you Rocko?" he asked him, with a bit of a sadistic laugh.

"You won't get a chance, Adam," Rocky replied calmly.

"You keep telling yourself that," Adam stated. "I was a ranger longer than you," he added. "You know I'll find a way out of here. You know I'll come after them. I can hear Katie's screams now. 'Daddy Ranger help me'," Adam mocked, his eyes dark and cold.

"Enough," Connor commanded, stepping up beside Rocky and placing his hand on Rocky's shoulder, trying to lend his friend as much support as he possibly could. It hadn't taken Adam long to identify Rocky's weakness. He understood now why Adam had refused to let Rocky stay alone. "Just shut up. You're not getting out of there until we say so," Connor growled at him.

Adam laughed cynically in response, shaking his head. "Ooooo… the red ranger is just so scary. Maybe I should do what he says," Adam taunted, snickering. Connor sighed and turned his attention to Ethan.

"You get the scan, Ethan?" he asked, ignoring Adam.

"Just finished," Ethan replied. "Thanks for distracting him to get him to hold still," he added with a laugh. Adam whirled around, glaring at him.

"You?" Adam growled.

"Yep," Rocky stated. "Distracted you long enough to get what we needed," he added, smirking slightly beneath his helmet. He was glad Adam had suggested they morph. He didn't need anyone to see how pale he was due to Adam's suggestions of killing Katie and Luke. Adam snarled, banging his fists on the force field again.

"Assholes," he cursed.

"Language Adam," Rocky taunted. "There are children present," he snorted a laugh, indicating Ethan and Connor. Both teenagers snickered, remembering the last time Rocky had scolded Adam for his use of a swear word. "We'll be back to check on you soon," he told his friend. "You just sit tight," he added, turning his back on him and walking out of the cave. Ethan and Connor followed after him.

"You won't get away with this!" Adam shouted. "I will kill you!" he insisted.

The three rangers ignored him, and put as much distance between themselves and Adam as they could before they powered down. Rocky, still effected by the zeo transformation, leaned forward, palms on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. Connor looked him over, seeing the despair in his eyes.

"That wasn't Adam," Connor told him. "You know that, right," he added in and Rocky nodded reluctantly. He leaned further forward, bracing himself on a tree and heaved, the contents of his stomach coming up. Connor and Ethan stepped back, giving him the space he clearly needed. After a few minutes, Rocky stood up and wiped his mouth on the bottom of his shirt. "You good?" Connor asked him.

"Yeah," Rocky stated, his face still slightly pale. "Listen, when we get back," he told the two teenagers.

"You do the talking," Ethan nodded. "We won't tell them anything," he added in. Connor nodded agreement.

Rocky nodded once, and began the rest of the walk back to the command post. He stopped just outside the entrance and looked over his shoulder at Connor who sighed and nodded.

"Haley," Connor spoke into his wrist, "let us in," he commanded. The three rangers heard a slight hiss, and passed through the entrance, before the hiss repeated and they knew they were sealed in. Connor led the way into the heart of the command area, not surprised to find Tanya and Aisha both downstairs, looking distressed. Rocky walked past both of them and went to the bio chamber, slipping the rock he'd taken to turn Adam back inside it. He hadn't wanted to leave it any place where Billy might have accidentally come across it.

"It worked?" Billy asked Rocky, who nodded once and cast his eyes to the ground.

"What worked?" Aisha asked, upset in her voice. "Rocky? Where were you? Where's Adam? Haley and Billy wouldn't tell us anything."

"I promised Adam I'd explain," Rocky stated, looking at Aisha and Tanya. "I'm glad Billy didn't tell you. You both might want to sit down," he told them. Both women frowned at him, and moved toward the sofa. Ethan handed Billy the bio scanner, before taking the third seat at the computers between him and Haley. There was a lot of data to work through, and the sooner they got started working on a cure, the better Ethan would feel.

"Mommy?" a small voice echoed from upstairs just as Aisha, Tanya, and Rocky began to take seats. Aisha frowned, and moved to stand back up.

"I'll get her," Connor told them, moving towards the stairs. "You all might be down here a while," he added in and Rocky nodded his thanks. Connor nodded once and disappeared up the stairs to go keep Katie occupied. Aisha looked back at Rocky, trying to interpret the look on his face. She felt her stomach sink.

"What happened?" she asked him.

"We're pretty sure Mesogog has Kimberly again," Rocky began, sighing. Neither woman said anything, but their faces did pale slightly. "So there's a safe bet that we've got four evil rangers, well, three powered and one unpowered, coming after us. But Billy thinks there might be a way to reverse it."

"That's good, isn't it?" Tanya asked and Rocky nodded, casting a quick glance over his shoulder at the three working at the computers. Billy wasn't paying attention to their conversation, and he was glad of that.

"Yes," Rocky told her, "but to be sure, we all agreed that he needed a way to test his cures. He needed more data in order to make it truly functional."

"More data?" Aisha asked, searching her husband's face for an answer that wasn't the one she'd already reached.

"He didn't," Tanya stated, shaking her head in disbelief. "Rocky, please tell me Adam didn't volunteer."

"I can't Tanya," Rocky told her.

"You let him?" she shouted, a few tears pushing their way to her eyes. "You let him sacrifice himself?"

"He's not dead," Rocky told her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her as close to himself as he could. "I promise you that."

"Where is he? I want to see him," she told him, but Rocky shook his head and pushed her back slightly so that he could meet her tear filled gaze.

"No," he told her. "You don't want to see him like this, trust me. Besides, he made me promise I'd keep you away," Rocky added. "He did this willingly to help save Tommy, Trent, Kira, and Kim. I'm not going to break my promise to him."

"And what if there is no cure?" Tanya practically sobbed out. "What then?"

"Adam had faith in Billy. We have to as well," Rocky told her.

"Is he ok?" Aisha asked her husband, nodding slightly at his statement about Billy. She wrapped her arms around Tanya, who had cast her eyes to the floor, her tears falling quietly.

"Physically," Rocky told her. "He's safe. Not being here was his idea," Rocky added. "He didn't want us or the kids to be in danger," Rocky explained.

"Of course he wouldn't," Tanya muttered, shaking her head. "The sacrificial idiot," she added. "I should have known he'd do something like this. The man nearly killed himself to help Carlos get his confidence back," she stated more to herself than to anyone else in the room. "When do you go back to check on him?" she asked Rocky.

"As soon as Billy's got something, or around dinner time," he told her. "Whichever comes first," he stated. "And no, you're not coming. Neither of you," he told them. "I meant what I said." Both woman sighed and nodded. Rocky's look told them that he was not going to argue with them about it. Rocky just nodded once, standing and leaving Aisha to comfort Tanya. He knew she'd do a better job of it than he would. He walked over to Billy and leaned on the desk.

"Billy, they're all counting on you to fix this," he told him.

"I know," Billy replied simply, not taking his eyes off the computer screen.

* * *

I wanted to explain why this is my favorite chapter. First reason, as I've said before, Adam is my favorite character. He always has been since I was a kid. Quiet shy rangers could be heroes, so could I. Anyway, aside from that, it was a very emotional chapter to write. He's not going to die, but he still had to willingly sacrifice himself for his friends. If Billy fails, he's stuck like that and he knows it, as does everyone else. So lots of emotion in there. I like emotion better than I like action.

Anyway, let me know your thoughts and feelings in your reviews. As always I love reading them. Oh, and after this, there are only 4 more chapters. The story will end at Chapter 50.

Fateless


	47. Chapter 47

Nearly 200 views and all chapter 46 got was 2 reviews. LOL. I see how it is. Ranger fans want more action less sappy emotion. OK, hope you like this part better. LOL

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"Get anything from the data Billy?" Ethan asked, grabbing his finished plate of food as well as those belonging to Haley and Billy. While the three had worked downstairs, Aisha, Tanya, Rocky, and Connor had all retreated upstairs to make lunch and try and act as normal as possible for the sake of Katie and Luke. Connor had briefly brought them down lunch before returning back upstairs. Ethan was pretty sure his leader was still blaming himself for much of what was happening, and as such was trying to keep himself away from ranger business.

"There is definitely a difference in Adam's brain waves while under the influence of the rocks. I'm working on isolating the differences so that I can devise a strategy for changing them back," Billy explained and Ethan nodded.

"Are there any physical abnormalities?" Haley asked Billy, who shook his head in response.

"Not that I can detect," Billy stated. "It appears the change is entirely mental," he added in.

"That makes things simpler," Haley stated, and Ethan nodded again. He brought their paper plates over to the trash can, and then sat down on one of the sofas.

"It also means that Kira, Trent, and Dr. O only have the skills and strength they normally possess," Ethan added to the conversation. "Which will at least not make fighting them any more difficult."

"Keep in mind, with their current mindset, they're more ruthless. They'll say and do anything, and that makes them more dangerous," Billy put in.

"Trust me," Ethan stated, rolling his eyes. "I definitely understand the whole say or do anything part. Adam made that pretty clear."

"What happened?" Haley asked. "Rocky looked really pale when you all got back."

"Adam threated the kids, didn't he?" Billy asked, and Ethan nodded once. Of course Billy could figure it out. Adam was Rocky's best friend. He knew exactly what buttons to push. There was no denying that the evil rangers were definitely a darker, twisted version of themselves. They knew everything there was to know about their friends and they were able to use it against them.

"No wonder Adam didn't want Tanya or Aisha going anywhere near him," Haley stated, letting her breath out at the same time.

"Haley," Ethan asked, "can you get a read on him in the cave? He is still there right?"

"Yes," Haley stated with a nod, typing on the computer and bringing up the stats from the force field. It showed the heat signatures of a human body within the confines, pacing back and forth. It was shaped like Adam. "He can't get out. I've got the force field on its highest setting."

"Good," Ethan added, looking away from the monitors. "Billy, is there anything I can do to hel…"

He was cut off by the alarms going off on the computer monitors. The words "Emergency Override" displayed across all the screens, and everything Billy and Haley were working on disappeared to show images of downtown Reefside being attacked. Not by tyrannodrones, or by triptoids. Not by Zeltrax, Elsa, or even a monster. Not even by three morphed rangers. Ethan's stomach plummeted as he made out the shapes of the Pterazord, Dragozord, Stegozord, and Brachiozord rampaging through the streets, their eyes glowing a sickening yellow green color instead of the normal pale green. People ran, trying to avoid being stepped on or crushed as massive pieces of concrete and metal fell from where the zords damaged buildings.

"Knew they couldn't stay quiet for long," Ethan groaned.

"And they've definitely turned Kira," Haley stated, indicating the Pterazord. She had absolutely no doubt that it was the only girl on the dino thunder team controlling the creature. Ethan exhaled sharply and raised his wrist to his mouth.

"Connor," he spoke. "Time to go to work," he stated simply. Within seconds, he heard three sets of footsteps on the stairs, before Connor, followed by Tanya and Rocky entered the command post. Ethan looked at the two zeo rangers and shook his head. "We're going to need the zords. We're on our own for this one guys," he told Rocky and Tanya who looked at the screen, seeing what he was indicating and nodding.

"Your zords aren't in Reefside, even if we knew they were functional. They won't be able to help," Connor told them, his face paling slightly. "But we'll be ok," Connor told them. "We can still use the auxillary zords; and form a megazord without Kira."

"You're sure?" Rocky asked him, and Connor nodded once.

"Stay here," Connor added. "Help Billy and Haley with the cure. The sooner we get it, the better," he stated. Rocky and Tanya each nodded once, and Connor turned to Ethan.

"Ready?"

"Ready," Ethan replied, and Connor nodded his head.

"Dino Thunder! Power Up!" he shouted, as both individuals maneuvered their wrists to their chests and pressed their morph button. Both instantly transformed into their suits.

"Haley," Connor spoke. "Have the Tyrannozord and Tricerazord meet us down town," he commanded.

"Already on it," Haley replied, turning back to the computers and typing in the commands necessary. Connor and Ethan immediately took off running out of the command space, leaving the four adults behind.

The zords were waiting when they arrived, halting next to one another. Connor looked at Ethan who nodded to him.

"Let's go for it," Ethan told him and Connor nodded agreement. Both put their feet together, jumping and twisting in the air as they entered the cockpits of their zords at the same time, backwards. "Connor," Ethan stated. "We need a plan; four against two will not end well."

"It doesn't matter how many of you there are, you won't be able to beat us," Trent's voice infiltrated Ethan's cockpit, and he was pretty sure Connor heard it to.

"Wanna bet Trent. We've stopped you every other time," Connor growled in response, sending the Tyrannozord charging towards the Dragozord, where he knew Trent was located, and attempting to close the Tyrannozord's massive jaw around the Dragozord's neck. Trent pulled his zord up at the last moment in a spin to avoid the red ranger's attack.

"Connor," Ethan called out. "It's not going to work like this," he added, watching as the Dragozord reoriented itself.

"Dino Stegozord formation," Trent called out and immediately, the two zords necessary shifted in response to Trent's call. Connor growled and hit his fist against the spherical console inside the Tyrannozord.

"We got no choice," Connor called to Ethan. "Activate!"

"Megazord!" Ethan shouted. He was worried. He knew without Kira, the Thundersaurus Megazord would not be complete and therefore not as strong. Also, Kira would have been needed to give Connor enough power to go Triassic and summon the Mezadon Rover and form the Mezadon Megazord.

"That's all you've got, huh?" Kira's voice reached both teenagers inside the cockpit. There was a darkness in her laugh that accompanied it. Connor and Ethan watched as the Pterazord pulled back, and flapped its wings, a laser emanating from within the open mouth of the zord, aimed directly at their megazord. It was a direct hit, and the megazord stumbled backwards, only to be hit from behind by the massive neck of the Brachiozord. Connor and Ethan were thrust forward, and had to cartwheel their arms to remain upright within the cockpit, and to keep the Thundersaurus Megazord on its feet.

"Should we call for the auxiliary zords?" Ethan asked Connor, frowning within his helmet. Connor shook his head no.

"We have primary control of the Tyrannozord and the Tricerazord," Connor argued. "But we all share the auxiliary zords. Trent took hold of the Stegozord. I'm almost afraid they'll take control of the rest of them as well."

"Connor," Haley's voice interrupted him.

"Haley," Ethan called back. "Please tell me you have a solution?" he asked. "We can't beat them with just two zords."

"I do," she told him. "After Trent gained control of the Stegozord, I implanted chips inside each of the auxiliary zords. They won't be able to take them from you."

"Awesome!" Ethan shouted.

"Thanks Haley," Connor called back, pleased. "Alright," he stated, nodding to Ethan. "Let's do this."

"Right!"

"Dimetrozord, Cephalozord, Ankylozord, Parasuarzord!" the two teenagers shouted, despite the cynical laughter they heard around them from the other three dino thunder rangers. The four summoned zords raced toward the center of down town Reefside, calling out their respective roars and jumping straight into battle.

Before the Brachiozord could react, the Cephalozord ran up its back and used its neck as a spring board, allowing it to launch itself into the air and deliver several powerful punches directly against the torso of the Pterazord, sending the yellow aerial zord crashing to the ground, and onto the waiting saw like back of the Dimetrozord. Connor and Ethan did their best to ignore Kira's screams, focusing their attention on the Dino Stegozord, leaving the auxiliary zords to take on the Pterazord and Brachiozord.

Both megazord formations circled each other. The Dino Stegozord leaped inwards, striking one arm towards the Tyrannozord head on the Thundersaurus Megazord's chest, eliciting sparks and knocking the megazord backwards. However, Connor and Ethan maintained their footing and responded by driving the Tricera fist directly into the heart of the Dino Stegozord. It was Trent's turn to cartwheel his arms in order to keep his megazord up right.

"Ugh…" Trent roared, anger in his outburst. "Dino Stinger!" he shouted, and the tail piece of his megazord shot forward towards the Thundersaurus Megazord with a flash of electricity and sparks, knocking it off its feet as the two teenagers within fell forward onto their control consoles.

"That's it," Kira's voice came through, distress evident. Connor and Ethan turned to look out and saw that she'd been unable to return to the air. The Pterazord was getting pummeled on the ground by the Cephalozord, while the Dimetrozord, Ankylozord and Parasuarzord were taking down the Brachiozord, which was on its side, and fighting to regain its footing. "This isn't worth it," Kira continued. The Pterazord's wings exploded outward, and with a screech, it took straight to the air. "I'm out," she added in. And instead of the Pterazord returning to battle, she turned it and took off away from the other zords.

"One down," Connor told Ethan.

"Two to go," Ethan replied, and the boys nodded to one another, standing up and returning the Thundersaurus Megazord to its feet.

"Why don't you go with her?" Connor shouted at Trent.

"I'm no coward," Trent replied, darkness in his tone of voice. They hadn't expected him to turn tail. However, the Dino Stegozord did spin, and strike the Thundersaurus Megazord with its tail. They managed to keep it upright and charged back at the Dino Stegozord, pulling its arms behind it.

"Fire Lasers!" Connor shouted and green bolts of electricity shot forward from the Thundersaurus Megazord's eyes, striking the Dino Stegozord and driving it to the ground. Connor and Ethan turned to face the Brachiozord which had just managed to pull itself to its feet. "Again!" Connor shouted, and an identical stream of energy shot forward, striking the massive carrier zord which cried out as it staggered backwards.

"Kira was right Trent," Tommy shouted for the first time since the battle began. "It's not worth it," he added, and kept the Brachiozord in retreat.

"Get back here, Coward!" Trent shouted at Tommy from within his own cockpit. But the black ranger didn't respond. Connor and Ethan heard Trent growl in anger.

"Ready to give up too?" Ethan asked his former teammate.

"Not a chance," Trent hissed in return. The Dino Stegozord charged toward the Thundersaurus Megazord, all four arms meeting in a series of clashes and sparks, as both megazords attempted to wrestle each other to the ground. After a few minutes of struggling, the Dino Stegozord raised it legs and kicked the Thundersaurus Megazord away. The Thundersaurus Megazord cartwheeled its arms, desperate to maintain an upright position. Connor and Ethan thrust the arms backwards as soon as they regained balance.

"Tyranno Fire Breath," Connor shouted, and they initiated a burst of flames from the mouth of the Tyrannozord on the chest of the megazord. The flames engulfed the Dino Stegozord. It flailed backwards, using its arms to shield its head from the heat of the flames which were relentless.

"This isn't over!" Trent yelled, dropping his megazord's arms to its side, and disappearing in an orange shimmer of light.

"Yes!" Ethan stated, turning and high fiving Connor.

"That went as well as we could have hoped," Connor stated with a nod. "Now," he added. "Let's get back and see if Billy has made any progress. I don't want to have to fight them again."

"Right," Ethan agreed.

* * *

"You three failed me," a reptilian voice hissed from the creature sitting on a black throne like structure in the room. On either side of Mesogog stood Zeltrax and Elsa. Elsa held the baton with the red gem on top of it in her hands. Across from them stood Kira, Tommy, and Trent still in morph from battle. Behind their visors, all three rangers had their eyes locked onto the baton, and not on Mesogog.

"They were more powerful than we anticipated," Trent replied, without taking his eyes off the baton, which Elsa shifted ever so slightly.

"They outnumbered us," Kira defended. Tommy chose not to speak.

"Excuses!" Mesogog hissed, shifting his head so he looked pointedly at Elsa. "They need to be punished for their failure," he told the woman.

"At your command my lord," Elsa stated with a dark smirk on her face. Zeltrax gave a menacing chuckle as Elsa gripped the baton, holding it upright and spinning it. The three rangers gripped their heads, groaning in pain, and sank to their knees, in front of Mesogog and his two generals. Elsa continued to twist the baton for nearly a full minute, before she lowered it, releasing the rangers from their punishment. The three of them fell forward, hands against the dark stone floors, panting as they tried to catch their breath.

"You will not fail me again," Mesogog told them with a hiss. He climbed off his throne and proceeded towards the flasks and beakers filled with smoking chemicals on the lab bench on the opposite end of the room. He placed one clawed hand on either end of the bench, and leaned forward, swiveling his head back behind him. "Get out of my sight," he commanded the three rangers, who pushed themselves to their feet and practically ran out of the room, each giving Elsa and her baton a wide berth as they passed. "Are the chemicals for the genome randomizer ready?" Mesogog asked.

"Almost my lord," Zeltrax replied. "It will not be long."

"Excellent," Mesogog replied, turning his back on the chemicals and stalking out through another door. "See to it that I am not disturbed until they are ready," he added in.

"Of course my lord," Elsa told him as she and Zeltrax bowed slightly in his direction.

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"Are you really going to sleep forever?" Tommy asked the prone figure on a single metal cot. She wore a white cotton spaghetti strep dress, and a glowing red rock around her neck. She lay on top of the blankets on the cot. Tommy leaned back against the wall in the room, his eyes scanning around, falling over the two other occupants.

"She really is taking her time," Trent grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. He leaned against the wall opposite Tommy.

"She didn't have power to help her recover like we did," Tommy replied, coldly, glaring at the current white ranger. Trent just shook his head.

"Why did Mesogog even want her anyway?" Kira asked. "She's useless without being a ranger," she stated. Kira was currently reclined on the second cot in the room, her arms relaxed behind her head.

"Clearly," Tommy told her, "we weren't much better."

"I held my own longer than both of you," Trent defended himself, glaring at Tommy.

"But you still lost," Kira spat at him. "Face it, Connor and Ethan bested you." Trent whirled around to face her. He growled and made a motion as if he were choking her with his hands, and then stormed out of the room.

"I'm going to the training room; I've got better things to do than to wait for sleeping beauty to decide to wake up," he grumbled as he left. Kira rolled her eyes at him, and pushed herself into a seated position. She cast her eyes at Tommy.

"Sleeping beauty huh?" she scoffed. "Maybe you should kiss her then," she taunted him. Tommy glared at her. "This is boring," she added after a moment and stood up stretching. "Perhaps I'll go kick some more of Trent's ass. Connor and Ethan didn't do nearly enough of a good job."

"Don't be late to dinner," Tommy called after her, and Kira waved him off. "I will not be punished because of you two."

"Whatever," Kira replied, turning her back on him. Tommy sighed angrily and walked closer to Kimberly, glancing down at her.

"We're alone," he told her. "You can open your eyes now," he added, reading the tension that hadn't been in her body a few moments before. She must have regained consciousness while Trent and Kira were prattling on. Kimberly's eyes opened and she locked her gaze onto him.

"I take it you didn't want to kiss me then?" Kimberly asked him, raising an eyebrow, and sitting up. She looked him over, letting her eyes examine the contours of his muscles. She smirked, knowing he was watching her every more. "Too bad," she added, standing up.

"What I want, and what Mesogog wants are completely different things," Tommy told her, his voice devoid of emotions.

"So you take orders like a good little soldier, huh?" Kimberly taunted him. "Seems like no matter what side you're on, that's all you'll ever do these days."

"You'll be taking orders soon enough," Tommy growled at her, turning his glare away. She'd struck a nerve and he didn't want to give her the satisfaction of seeing his eyes.

"As if," Kimberly stated, gripping the stone that lay against her chest within her hands. She felt it warm against the contact of her palm, and she smirked. Within a moment, she yanked hard, and the cord it was suspended on broke apart. Tommy watched her, his eyes going wide for a moment, astonished. She dropped the stone on her cot, and padded toward him, a cruel glint in her eyes. She came extremely close to him, and placed both of her palms on his bare chest, standing on her tippy toes and bringing her mouth within centimeters of his ear. "Thanks for setting me free," she whispered, her warm breath against his neck. She giggled maliciously when the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and she pushed herself away from him. "See ya around," she added, before turning her back on him and walking out the same door that Kira had left through.

Tommy watched her go, stunned. He blinked a few times, trying to sort through his mind what had just happened. He turned to the mirror in the room and stared at his own reflection, his eyes falling on the red glowing stone he wore around his neck. He slowly brought his fingers up to the rock, feeling the heat that it gave off. He cautiously wrapped his hand around the stone and attempting to pull it up and over his head. However, the moment he tried, he felt a sharp stabbing sensation in his chest. His breathing felt constricted, and his head felt like it was about to explode. Tommy released the stone, and all of the sensations ceased. He gripped the sides of the sink to steady himself panting. He glared at his reflection, his eyes locked on the stone. How the hell had Kimberly been able to so easily remove it?

* * *

Rocky walked through the woods alone, a survival pack on his back, just as a precaution. He had a flashlight in his hand, and a lantern strapped to the pack. It was just after sunset. Connor and Ethan had offered to come with him, but Rocky had turned them down, although Haley had wired his, Tanya, and Adam's communicators to pick up the same frequencies as those of the dino thunder team so he could contact them directly. Billy had been making steady progress all afternoon. Once Ethan had returned, the two of them began making more and more strides. Billy had been able to identify the key differences between Adam's brain waves before and after touching the stone, and they were now working on a laser that would counter act the stones' energy signature in such a way that would revert the infected rangers' brain chemistry to normal. Rocky shook his head slightly, laughing and recalling how well Billy and Ethan had worked together in Angel Grove. It had taken longer back then, but Billy was younger and not as experienced. Plus, they now had the help of a rocket scientist. Rocky hadn't wanted to take Ethan away from Billy and Haley, and he wanted Connor at the base to protect the others along with Tanya. Tanya had tried to come with him as well, but Aisha had seen the look in Rocky's eyes and begged her friend to help her bathe Katie and Luke. The moment Katie had heard it was bath time, she'd practically dragged her aunt Tanya into the bathroom, which was how Rocky found himself alone, nearing the cave they'd left Adam in that morning.

It had been hours since he'd last been there, and Rocky paused outside the mouth of the cave, taking a deep breath, and mentally preparing himself to go inside. After a moment or two, he stepped into the cave, using his flashlight to guide him. He'd thought it was dark in the forest, but the interior of the cave was nearly pitch black, as the star and moonlight couldn't reach into it. For a moment, Rocky was disturbed by the silence, until he heard another breathing rhythm from where they'd set up the force field. Rocky set his pack down and pulled the lantern off it, setting it off to the side and lighting it.

The lantern flared, illuminating the entire cave. Rocky squinted his eyes for a few seconds, allowing them to get used to the light. He raised his hand over his eyes, and turned to look for Adam. He found his friend seated on the floor of the cave, his legs crossed, with his back to the entrance of the cave. He was breathing slowly and deeply.

"Adam?" Rocky called out, a bit of concern in his voice. He stayed several feet back from the force field, and flicked his wrists, zeonizers appearing. He calmed slightly, knowing he had the ability to morph if necessary. Adam responded to the sound of his voice by turning his head slowly and opening his eyes. He squeezed them shut again, as he brought his body around, and pressed himself to a standing position, rubbing his eyes, as they tried to acclimate to the lighting in the room. After a moment, he was able to keep his eyes fully open and he made eye contact with Rocky. However, he didn't speak. Instead, he just stood there. Rocky glared at him, crossing his arms over his chest. "What? Got nothing to say?" he asked Adam. He knew the things his friend had said earlier were due to the stone, but he was still angry about them.

Adam opened his mouth to reply, but then shook his head and cast his eyes down to the ground. Rocky frowned and unfolded his arms, stepping slightly closer to the force field. Something was different. Adam was not the same person he'd left screaming inside the cave that morning.

"Adam?"

"Go away Rocky," Adam stated simply, turning his back on his friend. "Please," he added, sighing and tilting his head towards the cave ceiling, and squeezing his eyes shut. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"What game are you playing?" Rocky asked him, frowning at his friend's back and moving closer towards the force field. Adam spun around and glared at him for a moment before backing as far from Rocky as he possibly could. His gaze soften, looking extremely depressed.

"Game?" he asked, shaking his head. "It's not a game. Rocky, just leave me alone," he added in, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb.

"You're you again, aren't you?" Rocky asked him, disbelief in his voice. The more he watched his friend and listened to the tone of his voice, the more he admitted to himself that Adam was no longer under the control of the rock. Adam took a deep breath and let out a sharp exhale, and nodded. He tilted his gaze away from the floor and met Rocky's eyes. Rocky saw a few tears, but didn't call his friend out on them. "But how?"

"How should I know," Adam retorted, a bit of anger at his voice. Rocky knew the anger wasn't directed out at him, but rather internally. "One minute I feel like I want to gut you with my battle axe for imprisoning me in here, and then next I remember threatening Katie and Luke. I hate myself," he groaned, his eyes finding the floor again.

"You remember everything?"

"Every word," Adam replied, shaking his head. "I'm horrible," he added.

"It wasn't you," Rocky told him.

"Rocky, that's the point. It was me. It is me. It's a latent part of me, but it's there."

"It was the stone talking," Rocky argued with him.

"You're really going to forgive me that quickly, huh?" Adam asked him, a slight disbelieving and even cynical grin on his face. Rocky gave him a light smile in return and nodded.

"Of course," he stated. "I lost one of my best friends for years and you see what happens because of it? I'm not losing you over this." Both men paused for a few moments, meeting each other's gaze squarely. Finally, Rocky sighed and looked away. "How long?"

"Not long; a couple of hours at most. I've had enough time to sit and think about what I said; and worry that that part of myself is going to come back," Adam replied, shaking his head slightly. "Why are you here anyway?"

"I brought food. You haven't eaten all day."

"I threaten to kill your kids and you decide to feed me?" Adam asked, surprise on his face.

"Told you already," Rocky retorted, "That person is not you."

"Then why haven't you taken down the force field yet?" Adam asked him, with a bit of a laugh. Rocky grinned and shrugged.

"I'm not taking any risks that you're lying to me," Rocky stated simply. He raised his wrist and pressed a button.

"You've got Connor; everything alright?" Rocky heard, and Adam frowned, surprised that the communicator connected to the dino thunder teenager. Rocky gave him a smirk and a shrug before speaking into the communicator.

"Yes and no," Rocky replied. "Adam's still secured in the force field, but it seems like the rock's spell or whatever it is has worn off. He's back to his normal self."

"Are you sure?" came Billy's voice through the communicator.

"If I was, would he still be in the force field," Rocky laughed slightly. "I hate to take him away, but do you think you can send Ethan up here with the bio scanner to be sure?"

"No problem," Ethan's voice came through. "I'll be there soon," he added before they ended the communication.

"You heard them," Rocky told Adam. "Just sit tight," he added. Adam laughed slightly and shook his head.

It wasn't long before Ethan called out for Rocky. Rocky frowned slightly, and walked towards the entrance of the cave. "You didn't," Rocky groaned when he reached the entrance. The lantern's light didn't penetrate that far, and Adam couldn't see what was going on.

* * *

And if you haven't guessed by now, yes, I like cliff hanger endings of chapters. But I promise the fanfic doesn't end that way. There will be a conclusion.

Reviews are loved as always. Like I've said before, if you're signed in when you leave one, I'll reply (unless you have PMs turned off).

Thanks for reading,

Fateless


	48. Chapter 48

Yep, I was right. All you people want is action. Or maybe I shouldn't have posted 46 on a Friday night. I forget most people aren't old like me. LOL. Only three left. Two after you finish reading this one. I spent a few hours editing and adding a lot to this one. Almost an additional thousand words from where it was this morning. It needed a bit more edge. Hope you like it.

* * *

"Ethan," Rocky stated. "Did you have to?" Adam was growing irritated by the fact that he couldn't see, as he was still trapped at the back of the cave.

"She wouldn't let me come without her. She said if there was even a chance he was really back to normal, she was coming," Ethan's voice replied.

"Don't blame the kid, Rocky," Tanya's voice reached Adam's ears. "You know he couldn't have left me behind if he tried."

"Rocky!" Adam shouted. "Don't you dare bring her in here," he added. Unfortunately, he'd sort of forgotten who he was talking about and the next thing he knew, he was standing face to face with his fiancé who appeared extremely pissed off, her hands on her hips. Rocky and Ethan were just behind her. Adam gulped, and backed up against the wall.

"Well, he's scared of her," Rocky stated. "I'd say that's a good sign," he laughed and Tanya shifted her glare onto him for a moment. Adam sighed and shook his head as Tanya transferred her attention back onto him.

"Tanya," Adam stated. "What are you doing here? I know Rocky told you what was going on. Coming here could have been dangerous."

"Evil or not Adam," Tanya retorted, "you don't scare me."

"You don't know what I'm apparently capable of," Adam retorted, casting his eyes to the ground and shaking his head. Rocky might have been able to forgive him, but Adam wasn't sure he could forgive himself. And only Zordon knew what he would have said to Tanya in that state.

"I do know, Adam," she assured him, shaking her head. She nodded to Ethan who had started up the bio scanner. Adam held still for him, but kept his eyes trained on his fiancé. "I know exactly who you are, which is why I'm not going to kill you for doing this."

"You're not?" Adam asked, surprised again.

"No; I really should. This was beyond stupid," she laughed at him. "But this whole thing where you put yourself in danger without telling me what you're doing has to stop," she told him. "I'm proud of you for being brave enough, but next time you run things by me first."

"Would you have let me do it if I had?" Adam asked her, and Tanya sighed, considering his argument. Reluctantly she shook her head no, then nodded, and then shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know," she admitted. "But at least I'd have felt better knowing what was going on. I was worried I'd never see you again."

"I trust Billy," Adam told her.

"Done," Ethan interrupted their conversation. "I transmitted the data directly back to Billy at command. He should have an answer for us in a few moments."

"Good," Adam stated, "Because I'm starving," he laughed. "What'd you bring me?"

"Are you sure he's back to normal and didn't turn into you?" Tanya asked Rocky laughing as the blue zeo ranger dug through the book bag pulling out a sub sandwich, a bag of cookies, and a water bottle.

"Ha ha. Very funny," Rocky teased, laughter in his voice. Ethan's communicator went off.

"Go ahead," Ethan spoke into it.

"Scans show Adam's brain waves are identical to what they were before he touched the rock this morning. No signs of the mind alteration at all. It's safe to take down the force field," Billy told him. Haley must have been seated at the computer because a moment later, the force field fell, and Adam stepped out, accepting the sandwich from his friend.

"Any ideas as to why the rock's control on him broke?" Rocky asked Billy through Ethan's communicator.

"I'm not completely sure, but I do have a theory."

"And it is?" Tanya asked.

"Remember this morning? When Tommy grabbed hold of Adam. Their chests were touching slightly when Adam stopped fighting against him."

"Yeah," Adam stated. "I heard a humming sound. Really similar to the rock."

"I don't think you heard something similar to the rock Adam," Billy replied. "I think you heard a piece of the rock. I think Tommy and Trent were wearing them. I'm willing to bet money on it that in order for the spell to stay in place, the rock has to make continuous contact with skin."

"So when Adam came in such close contact with an active rock," Rocky thought out loud.

"It grabbed hold of his mind, forcing him to listen to it. It couldn't grab control of him because it wasn't touching his skin, but it still clouded his ability to think and control himself," Billy continued.

"This is just theory right now, right?" Adam asked, between bites of his sandwich. He wasn't kidding when he said he was starving.

"Yeah," Billy stated, "but, I've almost got a reversal for the brain waves worked out," he added, a bit of hesitation in his voice.

"I need to go back under, don't I?" Adam asked, sighing. Tanya's face paled, and Rocky glared at him. He may have thought it necessary the first time, but now he was more reluctant to let Adam do it again. Having him threaten the kids once was more than enough for him.

"I'm sending Connor up with a piece of the rock strung on a rope. You'll wear it this time. Keep it in contact with your skin, if you're up for it."

"I guess," Adam stated with a sigh. It didn't hurt physically, and even being under the rock's control wasn't mentally hard. It was the aftermath. Remembering what he said or did afterwards that he wasn't too keen on experiencing again. He was lucky that Rocky and he had been friends for so long. He doubted anyone else would have forgiven him so easily. The transmission with Billy ended, and Adam looked over at Tanya and Rocky.

"I don't want you to do it," Tanya told him, placing each of her hands on his shoulders. Adam sighed and looked away from her, shaking his head.

"I know you don't," he replied. "But it's got to be done. It's not like we can just take the rocks away from Tommy and Trent." He leaned forward and kissed the top of her head.

"Kira too," Ethan stated, and Adam looked up at him, reading the expression on his face. His heart sunk as he realized that what they'd feared had happened to the yellow ranger was confirmed. He nodded once.

"Tanya," Adam stated quietly, "you know I love you right?"

"Yeah," she stated, with a nod.

"And I'd never do anything to jeopardize us," he continued. "But we're rangers. Right now, the others are in danger, which means Reefside and the rest of earth is in danger. I've got to do what I can to help."

"I get it," she told him, leaning up and kissing his on the lips quickly. "Once a ranger, Always a ranger."

"I don't want you or Rocky here," he told her, nodding to her statement. He knew she'd understand. Rocky opened his mouth to protest, and Adam shook his head. "No. We know the force field will hold. I'm not going to escape. Connor and Ethan can handle it. I don't know them as well. I won't be able to hurt them as badly. I've done enough to you already. Don't put me in a position where I'll do it again."

"Adam, please," Rocky started to argue, but Adam shook his head. He didn't want to leave his friend alone. He knew that Adam had beating himself up since the spell broke. What if it broke again, and he wasn't there again. He didn't want to think about what thoughts Adam might have had in those moments.

"Not this time Rocko," Adam stated. "I want you and Tanya to go back to the command post as soon as Connor gets here."

"Did I hear someone say my name?" Connor asked, walking in, having clearly used a portion of his speed to reach them. "Hey Adam, feeling alright?" he asked the green zeo ranger who nodded simply.

Adam kissed Tanya once more on the lips and then pressed his lips against her forehead, holding either side of her face in his hands. "Go," he told her, nodding to the exit. Tanya sighed and nodded, grabbing Rocky by the hand and began to pull him towards the exit.

"Come on Rocky," Tanya stated. "He has a point," she added. Rocky frowned at her and cast a look back at Adam, who wore a determined expression and nodded. He shook his head and exhaled loudly before turning and following Tanya out of the cave.

"You did the right thing, getting rid of them," Ethan told Adam, who nodded, with a sigh. Connor was packing up the trash from the food that Rocky had brought Adam. He handed the green zeo ranger the water bottle, along with a second one from the pack Rocky had left behind, as well as a sleeping bag.

"You're leaving me overnight?" Adam asked and Connor nodded, hoisting the repacked bag onto his back. He lowered the light being emitted from the lantern until it was barely enough to see by. It wouldn't be able to be detected from outside the cave. They didn't want Adam to be detected by Tommy or Trent, but they figured that since Kira and Kimberly's capture, the two evil male rangers were probably a bit distracted. He set it just to the outside of the force field so Adam wouldn't be able to touch it while Adam set the two water bottles towards the back of his triangle of space, and spread the sleeping bag on the ground.

"Billy wants you to go the same amount of time as before, but this time with the rock against your skin," he stated, and Adam nodded his understanding. He pulled his shirt off, leaving him bare chested. They'd need the rock exposed if they were going to neutralize it later. "He's almost got the counter device ready. We'll be able to use it on you in the morning."

"And if it works, I'll be back to normal," Adam laughed cynically.

"When it works," Connor and Ethan stated at the same time, and Adam nodded again, this time a bit more reluctantly.

"How long are you staying?" he asked the two of them.

"Until we know the rock took effect," Connor stated.

"Wonderful," Adam retorted. "I get to say nasty things to you again."

"We didn't take it personally before, and we won't take it personally this time," Ethan assured him. "We owe you for doing this. The three of them are our teammates."

"It's not even a question," Adam replied, and the two gripped hands, pulling one another into a hug.

"Ethan?" Connor asked. "You got the bio scanner ready? Billy will want to see if there's anything different in the brain waves if the rock remains in constant contact."

"Ready," Ethan affirmed, stepping away from Adam, who stepped into the force field triangle. Connor pulled out the necklace and handed it to Adam by the cord. Adam took it and looked it over as Connor stepped back. Very gently, so as not to let the rock touch his face, Adam slipped the cord over his head.

"I'm sorry in advance," he stated simply, dropping the necklace so that the rock touched his chest. He felt his body get thrown backwards into the walls, as he shut his eyes, knowing he'd regain consciousness within moments.

"Haley, activate the force field," Connor called urgently, only sighing with relief once the electric barriers went up again, surrounding Adam, who was back on his feet much faster the second time around. Ethan immediately began to scan him, collecting data, while Adam stood relatively still, his shoulders heaving as he glared at Connor. None of the three of them spoke. Connor stood in a neutral stance, while Adam's position was much more tense, his shoulders raised and tight.

"Adam? Dude you in there?" Connor finally spoke, after getting a nod from Ethan that he was finished. Adam's glare deepened.

"Don't call me dude," he growled.

"Whatever man, you alright?" Connor asked, knowing full well, he wasn't.

"If you pathetic fools aren't going to let me out of here, just leave me alone," Adam retorted, turning his back on the two rangers. Ethan exhaled sharply and shook his head, walking towards Connor.

"We'll be back in the morning," Ethan told him.

"Don't bother," Adam snarled at him. "Just know that when I do get out of here, I'm going to gut you like a fish with your own saber and leave you to bleed out slowly." Connor just shrugged, satisfied that the rock had taken effect, despite the reluctance of the former ranger to berate and yell at them. He stuffed his hands in his pocket and led Ethan out into the woods.

"You think Billy will have the reversal ready by morning?" Connor asked Ethan as soon as they were far enough away from the cave. Ethan shrugged in response.

"I really hope so," he stated. "Because otherwise, he's stuck like that until we can get that necklace off him."

"Yeah, cause that would be an easy task," Connor smirked.

* * *

"Where the hell did she go," Tommy muttered to himself as he walked down the corridors of Mesogog's fortress. Kimberly hadn't been at dinner, and to avoid punishment, Tommy had lied that she was still lying unconscious in the dorm she was slated to share with Kira. Kira and Trent had attempted to rat him out, but he'd silenced both teenagers with one look that promised he'd find a way to rip their insides out through their mouths if they were responsible for another of Elsa's conditioning sessions. Kim wasn't back in the dorm when they'd returned from the meal either, which is what led him to wandering the halls, searching for her.

His feet led him to the training room, and Tommy paused on the outside, studying the two doors. He sighed, and pushed the door open, not entirely surprised to find her inside, practicing moves he remembered teaching her a long time before. She jumped into the air and kicked out in a spin, landing so that she was facing him, her head down, her hair over her face. She snapped her head upwards, smirking at him, coldly.

"Hi," she stated matter of factly, slowly sliding into a neutral stance. Her eyes were hard and callous. Her tone was mocking. "Took you long enough to come find me."

"You missed dinner," Tommy told her. Even evil, he felt awkward around her. He hadn't forgotten the letter she'd written, or the explanation she'd given him. He hadn't forgotten the last decade without her in his life, or the fact that he might have sort of still loved her, before the rock. However, the rock wouldn't let him feel love, if that's what it was. However, lust was another story. He didn't understand how she could keep calm and collected when he was in a state of utter chaos.

"Awww," she taunted him. "Didn't know you cared."

"I don't," he replied, just as coldly. "I just don't want to be punished because of you."

"They've got you trained like a damn lap dog, don't they Tommy," Kimberly smirked. Tommy just stared at her. She slipped back into an offensive stance, her eyes glistening with dark amusement. She curled her lip in a smirk and raised her hand, palm up, beckoning him toward her. She wanted to fight. Tommy sighed and fell into a complementary stance. Fighting he could do. Hitting something, even if it was Kimberly, would make him feel more grounded and less chaotic. He needed to beat something or someone.

Kimberly made the first strike, crouching and kicking out at his legs. Tommy saw it coming, and jumped straight up, before extending his right leg toward her. Kimberly swiveled to side, narrowly avoiding his foot colliding with her shoulder. She popped up behind him, and grabbed his arm and shoulder, attempting to take him down. Tommy twisted, and Kimberly flipped over his shoulder, landing in a crouch after she summersaulted through the air. She spun on her toes, and snarled back at him. She rolled to the side to avoid the punch Tommy aimed at face. His fist struck the hard floor and he growled in response, snapping his head in her direction. Kimberly smirked, cold playfulness evident on her face. She ran towards him, catapulting herself into a front handspring. Tommy had to roll this time to avoid being struck when both of her legs landed in the spot he had been. She growled, irritated that he had evaded her. This time Tommy smirked back at her, which only served to anger Kimberly further. She snarled and launched herself at him, both of her hands landing on his shoulders as she wrestled him to the ground. Tommy used his superior weight to flip them over, pinning Kimberly to the ground below him. Both of them stayed in that position, panting, eyes locking onto each other.

"I hate you," Kimberly told him glaring at him. "You may have freed me, but I didn't want to be locked up here like some bird in a cage!"

"You wanted to be with me," Tommy spat back at her.

"Not with you like this," Kimberly stated. "I can't love you like this; I'd sooner skin you alive. Admit it," she commanded. "You don't love me now either." Tommy didn't reply. "You can't feel love, can you Tommy boy." She smirked, beneath his weight, her eyes flashing slightly red, a guttural growl in her voice. He recognized it and frowned. She was not solely under the influence of the rock, like he was.

"No," he replied, shaking his head. He didn't release her. "But I still want you."

"You hate me," she growled. "As much, if not more, than I hate you. More than you hate every one of them," she told him. Tommy didn't reply. "You want to kill me; You're wishing you had your dragon dagger to do it with. Or would Saba be more appropriate," she smirked, again. "You're imagining spilling my blood right now, watching it run down the hilt of that white sword of yours," she told him, her eyes flashing red again. She was toying with him. "Admit it!" she screamed at him.

"I hate you," he spoke slowly at her command, shifting his hands off her shoulders and onto the floor outside them, so that she was still trapped between his arms. "I should kill you right now with my bare hands," he told her, and then paused. "But I still want you!" he stated more urgently, lowering himself on his arms, holding his weight just above her, their noses practically touching. They could feel each other's warm breath against their faces. Kimberly glared at him. "Say you want me to," he commanded her.

"I hate you," she spat, her lip curling into a snarl, her glare deepening. She growled and shifted her right hand, revealing a small shard of metal. He had no idea where she'd gotten it from. Before he could react, she plunged it into his shoulder and yanked it back out. Warm blood flowed from the wound she'd inflicted, dripping onto her white dress and the floor. She inhaled and exhaled loudly, malice in her eyes as they met each other's gazes. Tommy didn't even flinch at the pain the small weapon inflicted, but he deepened his glare at her, asserting his dominance. He still had her trapped. Tommy exhaled sharply, lowering a bit further, and placing his mouth beside her ear.

"But you want me," he told her, his voice no louder than a whisper. "Say it!" he growled softly, his eyes cold as ice.

"I…" Kimberly began, her skin tingling from contact with his body. She refused to give in so easily.

"Say it," Tommy's voice repeated, his mouth touching her ear. He bit down on her earlobe, drawing blood. Kimberly moaned, not exactly due to the pain. She didn't love him. She didn't have that capability. Evil she may have been, an ancient evil reawakened within her, but it didn't make her forget anything. She'd always been attracted to him, and evil didn't make you forget lust or arousal.

"I…" she started to say in return, her voice barely audible. He'd begun to move his mouth down her neck, flicking it with his tongue and biting her.

"Enough games!" Elsa's voice snapped and Tommy's body instantly went rigid as he pulled back away from her. Kimberly let out a sigh of relief as he released her. "I've been looking everywhere for you," Elsa continued, as Tommy pushed himself to his feet and turned slowly to face the black leather clad woman. "You're supposed to be in the dorm," she growled at him, tapping her baton against her palm. Tommy eyed it cautiously. "I should bring you to your knees for disobedience," she told him, and Tommy actually dropped his head. Elsa smirked at his response. "You're bleeding again?" she asked him.

"There's dangers to playing with evil rangers," he growled in response, looking at Kimberly out of the corner of his eyes. Elsa gave him an exasperated sigh before turning her attention to the smaller woman.

"And you," Elsa stated, turning her attention onto Kimberly. Her smirked fell as she observed the woman. "Where is your stone?"

"I decided I didn't need it," Kimberly smirked. "That going to be a problem?" Her eyes possessed a wild look that was more feral than the expressions of the other three turned rangers. Her lip curled back as her eyes, cold and practically lifeless met Elsa's.

"Actually," Elsa stated, narrowing her glare at Kimberly. "Yes."

"Oh," Kimberly stated. "Yeah," she added. "Don't care. By the way, don't I owe you for something," she growled, falling into an offensive stance. She hadn't forgotten the woman's taser. She was pretty sure she wanted to plunge it into Elsa's brain at that very moment. Unfortunately, she didn't have it. But she did have her tiny little shank. In her mind, she saw herself driving it through the woman's skin over and over again until she was covered in more holes than a pin cushion. She could then leave her there to bleed to death. Kimberly lunged at Elsa, intent on striking her the woman in the neck with the sharpened point grasped within her fist, only to have her forward motion stopped by a blow to her side from Tommy. "What the hell did you do that for?" Kimberly snarled at him when she landed in a crouched position a few feet away from her intended target. "You of all people should understand."

"Believe me," Tommy replied. "I'd like nothing more than to allow you to kill Elsa," he told her. "But I can't."

"Right," Kimberly spat. "They've got you whipped. All you need is the leash to go with your collar, but I'm assuming that's what the baton is for."

"Triptoids!" Elsa shouted, cutting off the conversation between Tommy and Kimberly. The two were glaring at each other. The black and white creatures that Kimberly remembered from Mesogog's attempt at blasting her into tiny little pieces, appeared all around her. Kimberly tried to fight them off, and succeeded for a few moments before their numbers quadrupled. She may have been stronger than she'd been before her dormant evil had been reawakened, but the numbers were not on her side. They grabbed her by the arms and raised her up off the ground, once again preventing her from using her feet as leverage. "Take her straight to Mesogog," she ordered, turning her attention back to Tommy as the triptoids carried the protesting woman out of the practice room. Elsa spun the baton slightly, inflicting a short burst of pain in Tommy's brain. "Do you need an escort back to the dorms? Or can you find your own way there?" she growled at him. Tommy clutched his head in his hands and shook his head no, biting down on his lip. "Go," she commanded him, and Tommy immediately did as she commanded. Elsa smirked as she watched him retreat.

* * *

"You sure you want to be there for this?" Rocky asked Tanya. They both carried ray gun looking devices as they walked beside one another. The devices were about the same size as the Thundermax Sabers and the Zeo Laser Pistols. Both zeo rangers followed behind Ethan and Connor. The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon. "The three of us can handle it," he continued, but Tanya shook her head.

"Four is better than three. Billy said we're going to need to take down the force field to neutralize the stone. We can't let him escape," she replied. Rocky nodded solemnly.

"I know. If he does, Mesogog gets another evil ranger. But still," he argued, "Connor, Ethan, and I can handle him. He can't morph."

"Rocky," Tanya stated. "I can handle this. I can face him. It's not Adam."

"I keep telling myself that," Rocky replied, his eyes downcast, "but it doesn't make it easier. He's going to know what to say to break you. He's going to try and rip you to pieces mentally, physically, and emotionally. He almost succeeded with me."

"I can't let you three do this when I can help," Tanya argued and Rocky sighed and nodded. He understood that motivation. He struggled for a little while when he passed on his power to Justin. It had been hard the first few months to take shelter with the rest of Angel Grove when the monster alarms went off. It only started to get easier when Adam and Tanya joined him, because by that point, he felt he needed to set the example for how to live as a civilian. He could understand exactly what it was like to feel helpless, and he understood her desire to help where and when she could.

"The cave's up ahead," Connor called back and Rocky looked up to see that he and Ethan had stopped. Billy had created five of the ray guns. Like Rocky and Tanya, Ethan and Connor each carried one. The fifth, meant for Adam, was waiting back at command. Ethan also carried a bio scanner. "We should morph before we go in."

"Agreed," Rocky stated with a nod.

"You prepare Tanya for what to expect?" Ethan asked Rocky, who nodded. "You're sure you want to come with?" Ethan asked the only woman in their group. Tanya rolled her eyes, but she did appreciate their concern. She nodded.

"I'm promising to love him through the good and the bad."

"Normal marriages don't go through evil rangers," Rocky laughed at her. Connor snickered and shook his head. Tanya shrugged in response.

"So what's the full plan?" Ethan asked, while they were still far enough from the cave that Adam wouldn't be able over hear them.

"Assuming we're right about the physical contact with the rock," Connor stated, "we're going to have to take down the force field and free an evil power ranger. He could do anything once that force field goes down. Flee or fight, or even just stand there."

"I'm hoping for option three," Ethan chuckled. Rocky and Tanya smiled and nodded agreement.

"Yeah," Connor laughed. "Well, that's doubtful. No matter what the outcome, I want at least two blockades," he stated. "Tanya, you're at the mouth of the cave. You're not coming in."

"But" Tanya started to protest, but Connor shook his head, and Rocky nodded it, agreeing with him.

"No," Connor told her. "I might be younger than you, but dino thunder is my team. Besides," he stated. "Rocky agrees with me," he stated. "If we can avoid you coming in contact with him, we will. Plus, seeing you at the end of the cave when he doesn't expect it might be exactly what's needed to stop him, in case he gets past the three of us."

"Alright, fine," Tanya stated.

"Ethan, you're going to be just behind Rocky and I," Connor continued on. "Rocky and I are going to be directly in front of him when the force field goes down. The moment anyone has a clear shot, you take it. Aim for the rock. The ray gun won't affect anything besides the rock, so if you miss, it won't hurt him but that means it also won't stop him."

"Hit the rock," Ethan stated. "Got it."

"Ready then?" Rocky asked the group, who all nodded.

"Dino Thunder! Power Up!" Connor and Ethan called before morphing.

"It's morphing time!" Rocky stated, and beside him Tanya called out "Zeo Ranger two, yellow!" He added in "Zeo Ranger three, blue!"

All four rangers stood morphed, the two blue and one yellow ranger looking at Connor to take the lead. He nodded once, and shifted the ray gun in his hand, before leading the way to the cave. Tanya sighed and took a position on the outside, while the three male rangers went inside.

The sun was high enough at that point to cast light into the very back of the cave. It was a good thing too, as the lantern's battery was pretty much out. It wouldn't have provided any light to see by at all. Ethan stopped slightly inside, placing the bio scanner against the wall near him, while Connor and Rocky walked in until they were only a few feet beyond the active force field.

"Oh look," Adam snarled. He was standing, leaning against the back wall of the cave within his entitled area. "I've got company," he added, crossing his arms over his chest. "Perhaps I should start a pot of tea."

"Just shut up," Rocky told him, turning his head to Connor. "The sooner we end this, the better."

"End what?" Adam laughed. "You can't end this. This is me."

"Clearly," Connor stated, "that rock makes him delusional," he added, rolling his eyes. Adam glared at him, but Connor choose to ignore it. Connor lifted his wrist to his mouth and initiated his communicator. "Haley?"

"I read you. You guys in position."

"Yes," he stated simply.

"Alright; five seconds."

"Gottcha," he stated, dropping his wrist. Both he and Rocky gripped their ray guns, aiming them straight at Adam's chest, counting to five in their heads. Behind them, they heard Ethan and even Tanya adjust their stances. The moment Connor reached five, the he watched the force field evaporate, and Adam's defiant gaze turned to one shock, not expecting the force field to disappear. Adam had barely processed it before Connor and Rocky both fired their ray guns, aiming directly at the rock that rested over his heart. Unfortunately for them, even without his morpher, Adam had his ranger reflexes. Being a martial artist and owning a dojo for a living didn't hurt his chances either. Adam ducked beneath the beams fired from each of the ray guns and bolted past them. "Damn it," both Connor and Rocky hissed, giving chase. Ethan fired twice, trying to aim at the moving target that was Adam. Adam dodge both blasts from his gun, snarling as he ran, irritated that they were firing on him. He paused for a moment to punch Ethan who wasn't ready for it. The boy stumbled backwards, colliding with Connor and Rocky and sending the three of them to the ground. Adam only stopped running when he came face to face with Tanya standing between him and freedom. He skidded to a halt, blinking in surprise. Connor was right. Adam hadn't expected them to bring her with them.

"Going somewhere?" Tanya asked him, the ray gun aimed directly at his chest. Adam drew his lip up into a cynical half smile.

"Tanya," he half laughed. "Mad I went against your silly little wishes? Sorry you can't always get what you want. Life's tough" he taunted her.

"Not mad," she replied. "Just a bit irritated with you."

"Enough to shoot me?" he taunted. "Could you really hurt me? You've never been strong enough. Not even sure why I bothered to ask you to marry me. You're definitely not worth that."

"Oh," Tanya told him. "I'm strong enough," she added. She pulled the trigger, but Adam dodged the ray to the side. She darted as well, cutting off his escape. He glared at her, and kicked out, knocking the ray gun out of her hands. However, she didn't let him pass. She ducked and kicked out at his legs, knocking him off his feet and onto the ground. He pushed himself back up and kicked her in the torso, sending her stumbling backwards. She didn't hit the ground, only because she was morphed and he wasn't. Angry, despite the fact that he could have made a break for it, as Tanya was no longer blocking his exit, Adam stalked towards her. He grabbed her by the shoulders and began to strike her helmet with his fist, bloodying his knuckles on the hard material. Inside her helmet Tanya's head hit the sides, causing her to wince as the helmet changed position, occasionally cutting into her neck. She tried using her hands to push him off her. He only kept her captive for so long because she was extremely reluctant to do anything that would harm him. He was after all, currently in civilian form, and any close range blow from her could do serious damage if she wasn't careful.

"Slut!" he shouted at her as he beat against the helmet. He tried to get his hands into a position to unclasp it, but every time he did, Tanya managed to pull his hand away. He finally gave up and punched her in the stomach, dropping her on the ground. What he didn't realize is he'd discarded her right next to the ray gun. He sneered down at her for a moment. Within a millisecond, Tanya snatched the device off the ground, propped herself up on her arm and fired the weapon at him.

The beam struck the rock in the dead center of his chest, forcing him off his feet, and sending him flying backward into the cave. Their entire fight had happened so quickly that the three male rangers were just reaching the entrance of the cave when he landed. Tanya ran in after him, coming to a halt a few feet away. "Still think it was a bad idea to bring me?" she asked them, a slight bit of amusement in her voice. The three male rangers looked down at Adam's prone figure, and then back up at Tanya, who removed her blood stained helmet and rubbed the at the sides of her neck that were slightly irritated.


	49. Chapter 49

Ok, so you weren't supposed to get this until tomorrow, but I decided I was as eager for you to read this as some of you seem to be. However, I'm warning you, this is the big climax, and you won't be getting the final chapter till at least Friday. I really hope you like this. I've written about 2.5 chapters of the sequel so far, so I'm not sure when I'll start posting that. Maybe late this weekend. So, enjoy.

* * *

Kimberly had been thrown into a cell, similar to the one she remembered being held captive in for a few days earlier in the week. She hadn't expected to be back in Mesogog's clutches so soon. Irritated at the circumstances, and the fact that, clearly, Mesogog had no intention of coming to see her immediately, Kimberly had spent the night intermittently pacing and sleeping. The sun wasn't over the horizon when she heard a hiss of mechanized doors opening on the room that her cell was in the next morning. She slowly walked towards the outer bars, and gripped them, pulling her body close as she watched Mesogog, Elsa, and Zeltrax enter. Mesogog made eye contact with her for a moment, and Kimberly just gave him a dark, cold, smirk in response, her eyes flashing red. Mesogog turned away from her, expressionless to let his eyes settle on Elsa.

"How long has she been without the stone?" Mesogog asked the woman in black.

"My lord, it appears she removed it easily practically immediately upon waking in the dorms yesterday," Elsa stated. "Surveillance shows Tommy attempting to remove his as well, and failing."

"And what do the bio scans say of her condition?" Mesogog asked, turning to Zeltrax. Kimberly frowned and glanced around her, her eyes finding two bio scanners mounted in the corners of her cell. Of course Mesogog had been monitoring her in every way he could.

"Scan's show her brain waves indicate pure evil, but there are no traces of the rock's influence on her, my lord," Zeltrax explained.

"Interesting," Mesogog hissed, walking over to Kimberly, his hands clasped behind his back. "Truly interesting. Do we know what makes her different?"

"Wouldn't you like to know, peon," Kimberly growled at him. Mesogog disregarded her.

"The bio scanners are picking up an old power within her that had remained dormant. It seems our rock has woken that power," Elsa stated. "However, without wearing the rock, she's uncontrollable."

"I'd never be your obedient servant," Kimberly growled, her eyes dark as she looked past Mesogog directly at Elsa. Of the three of them, it was Elsa she despised the most. "No one controls a child of Maligore," she hissed, the red glow in her eyes flaring as she grabbed the bars tighter, pressing her face between the bars and snarling at them.

"We shall see about that," Mesogog hissed in response, once again turning his back to his captive. "The chemicals for the genome randomizer? Are they ready?" he asked Zeltrax and Elsa, both who bowed in response. "Excellent. We shall have a test shortly to see if they work," he stated, cruelly. Behind him, Kimberly's glare turned into a frown of confusion. She didn't like the sound of what Mesogog was getting at. Elsa and Zeltrax laughed as they followed Mesogog back out of the room, leaving Kimberly alone with her thoughts.

* * *

While Adam lay unconscious, Ethan had dashed to the back of the cave and grabbed the force field. Together, he and Rocky quickly set it up around Adam and had Haley reactivate it, as a precaution. Until he regained consciousness, Ethan couldn't rescan his brain waves to see if the ray gun had done its job. The four morphed rangers sat there quietly, listening to their own breathing. Tanya sat on the floor, her back against the wall, closest to Adam's head. If the force field wasn't preventing her, she would have reached down and stoked his hair. She was glad that they had decided to remain morphed, which meant Connor, Ethan, and Rocky couldn't see the terrified or hurt expression on her face. Yes, she knew it was the rock speaking, and yes, she could handle it, but what he'd said had still cut her. And he'd attacked her. But more than that, he'd been trying to kill her. It hadn't been a simple incapacitation and leave her alone. He could have escaped. He'd stayed, with one goal in mind. If he'd succeeded in getting her helmet off, she had no doubt that what he would have ended her life. And then there was the fact that she'd been the one to fire at him, and knock him out. He was taking a lot longer than she'd like to regain consciousness.

"Is he alright?" she asked Ethan when she could no longer bear the silence. Rocky and Connor looked over at the blue clad dino thunder ranger as well. Ethan took a deep breath and nodded. While the bio scan couldn't access his brain waves adequately to determine if the rock's spell had been removed since at the moment, Adam wasn't thinking about anything, the scan did show all his vitals were strong.

"I'm fine," Adam finally muttered, hearing her question as he came to, groaning slightly, and rolling from his back onto his stomach, before pushing himself up with his elbows. He sat back on his knees, clutching his head in his hand. "Feel like I got stepped on by a megazord, but otherwise, I'm fine," he added in. Rocky laughed slightly. Adam blinked his eyes open and glanced around him at each of them before letting his eyes settle on Tanya in front of him. "You shouldn't have come."

"I stopped you, didn't I?" Tanya replied with a sigh. She unclipped her helmet and removed it. She needed to meet his eyes. Rocky, Ethan, and Connor copied her. She made direct eye contact with Adam, who exhaled sharply and nodded, before looking away. He couldn't meet hers, as much as she may have wanted him to. "You're not the only one who can be brave," she told him.

"No," he replied. "I'm definitely not." He let his gaze drop to his chest where the rock still hung, pressed against his chest. It was cold, and no longer glowing red. "I'm still touching it?" he asked. "The ray gun worked?"

"We need to scan you to know for sure," Ethan told him, and Adam nodded, slowly pushing himself to his feet. Tanya stood up as well, keeping her eyes trained on him. As soon as he was standing, Ethan ran the bio scanner over him. The only sounds were the device and the breathing of the five individuals in the cave, until Ethan finished. "Now we just wait for Billy to confirm," he stated, simply, getting nods of understanding from Adam and the others. Within seconds, the force field deactivated around Adam, and Connor and Rocky's faces broke out into smiles. Ethan sighed in relief, and Tanya walked up to Adam. Their eyes met for a moment, searching each other for something, before she threw her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder, a few silent relieved tears falling from her eyes.

"Are you hurt?" he whispered, his voice barely audible to any of the others as he buried his face in her hair. She shook her head against him. He placed both hands against her cheeks and tilted her face up to look at him. He used his thumbs to wipe her tears away. "I'm sorry," he added, dropping his head and kissing her gently, but deeply, every emotion he had in his words and actions. "Thank you," he told her when they separated.

"Thank Billy," she laughed, pulling the stone off of his neck.

"We need to destroy those things," Adam stated simply.

"I'm sure Billy has already begun neutralizing the remainder of the rock fragments back at command," Connor told him. "Power down," he shouted, and all four morphed rangers were back in their civilian form. "You up for the walk back?"

"And more than that. I want them back to normal ASAP," Adam confirmed. Ethan had walked to the back of the cave and gathered up Adam's shirt, the sleeping bag, two empty water bottles and the lantern. He handed everything to Connor while he picked the bio scanner and the ray gun back up. Connor passed Adam his shirt, which he immediately put back on, before accepting the rest of the bundle from the teenage red ranger. Everyone else had a ray gun to carry. Adam linked his free hand with Tanya's, twisting their hands at the wrist and bringing the back of hers to his lips. He kissed it lightly. "I'm so sorry," he told her again.

"It wasn't you," she assured him with a slight smile.

"I don't deserve any of you," Adam stated, shaking his head.

"Of course you do, frog boy," Rocky told him. "Come on. We've got to formulate a plan. These guns aren't going to work if they're morphed."

* * *

Tommy stood alone, morphed, directly in front of Mesogog's throne. Elsa and Zeltrax stood on either side of their leader. To Tommy's left, a group of triptoids restrained Kimberly who was struggling to break free. He had finally realized where he recognized her attitude from. Maligore. But not completely. She'd lost much of the strength the evil creature had granted her. It must have been due to the passage of time. However, her temper hadn't dulled. There were strings of swear words emanating from her mouth. Tommy was pretty sure she'd threatened at least once to rip out Mesogog's entrails and string him up from the rafters with them acting as the noose. He'd had to fight the urge to smirk at that one. Elsa still held the baton and he knew what would happen if he put one foot out of place. The pain was like nothing he'd ever felt before. It completely incapacitated him, and his human will to survive over powered every instinct he had to fight it. On the right was a large tube like device with a set of sliding doors. Wires and tubes connected it to what looked like a chemist's lab and a control panel with buttons and levers. The genome randomizer. Source of every monster he'd fought as a member of the dino thunder team. He glared at it beneath his helmet.

"Once we have finished the experiment, you will take the other two with you and you will destroy the rest of the power rangers," Mesogog instructed Tommy. He nodded once. Unlike Elsa and Zeltrax, Tommy and the other rangers only obeyed because of the baton. They did not believe Mesogog to be their master or have any loyalty towards him. Their obedience was a conditioned fear response; nothing more. "Bring her to the chamber," Mesogog ordered, and Tommy watched as the triptoids carried Kimberly closer to the genome randomizer. He wanted to feel something more than indifference. He remembered a time when he would have done absolutely anything for her, but the pulsing rock around his neck made him maintain a fixed gaze on the wall behind Mesogog's throne.

"Tommy!" she'd screamed, sounding more like herself than she had since he'd placed the rock around her neck, her fear of what was about to happen momentarily drowning out her hatred of him. Tommy didn't flinch or look in her direction. Instead, he exhaled sharply, listening as the doors of the genome randomizer hissed shut on her, muffling her screams.

"Activate the genome randomizer," Mesogog spoke, as Elsa and Zeltrax strode forward toward the control panel. Tommy could hear Kimberly banging her fists against the glass tube she was encased inside.

"Initiating sequence," Zeltrax replied, pressing a few buttons on the console.

"Engaging randomization," Elsa added, as she pulled the lever on the console. Steam filled the tube, completely blocking Kimberly from Tommy's view. At that point, he turned his head to watch the machine. Moments passed in silence, before the doors on the genome randomizer slide open, and a creature walked out.

The monster was slender, with orangish pink scales covering every inch of her legs from waist to ankle, and from shoulder to wrist. She stood on her toes, similar to how a raptor would stand, her feet fused into three talons. Her hands ended similarly, each of the three talons on each hand caped with a long razor sharp, dark pink claw. Her torso was encased within white and pink metallic armor that flared out at her hips and over her shoulders. Spikes the same color as her talons raced down her back, starting at the base of her neck. They grew longer towards the middle of her back, before shrinking again and disappearing her spine met her pelvis. When she moved her arms, Tommy could see translucent pink sheets of skin that connected from her wrists to her hips, giving her wing like features. Her neck had been slightly elongated, and her head thinned out to resemble the pterodactyl she had once garnered her power from. Her mouth was lined with razor sharp canine teeth. The only parts of Kimberly that remained were her eyes. It disconcerted him, just how human her eyes appeared. She opened her mouth and let loose a very dinosaur like screech.

"How may I be of service to you my lord?" she hissed, her speech pattern similar to Mesogog's. Had Tommy not known any better, he wouldn't have recognized her voice as belonging to Kimberly. He winced slightly at its sound, and the address of respect she'd given the dinosaur commander. It seemed Mesogog wouldn't need a stone to control her anymore. Mesogog had successfully harnessed the evil that infected her by mutating her DNA.

"Excellent," Mesogog cackled. "Excellent," he repeated, bringing his talon capped hands together in front of him. He cast his eyes between Tommy and the creature that had once been Kimberly.

* * *

Everyone who hadn't been turned evil and conscripted into Mesogog's army sat in Tommy's living room at just after seven in the morning on Sunday. Billy had looked over Adam's knuckles, but other than cleaning them, he wasn't worried about injury. Adam sat on the couch, bouncing Katie on his lap. Aisha had already punched him a few times for what she had called "a brave but absolutely stupid, idiotic, don't do it again" stunt. He had bruises on his arms from where she'd struck him. When he'd pouted, Tanya had just told him that he did deserve it.

They'd devised their plan over breakfast. It wasn't extremely complicated, but unfortunately, it meant that they could not hold back during battle. They would have to inflict enough damage that it caused the Kira, Trent, and Tommy to demorph. Connor and Ethan had shown that their morphers remained visible on their left wrists during battle. It was a small target, but if they could hit it with a blast from a Thundermax Saber or a Zeo Laser Pistol, they might be able to short out the morphing power, at least until Haley could reconnect it. That would give them the opportunity to fire the ray guns. Rocky and Adam would take on Tommy, while Connor and Ethan went after Trent. Tanya would be responsible for trying to depower Kira, and whoever was closest at that point would try and deactivate the rock. Their plan was pretty solid. The only unknown however, was Kimberly. They doubted very much that Tommy had not turned her. But they had no idea what would happen as she was no longer a ranger. They figured there was a distinct possibility that they might be mounting another rescue attempt.

Aside from Katie and Luke's babbling, there wasn't much talk in the room. Everyone was too tense, waiting. Since they were all on high alert, no one jumped when Connor, Ethan, Adam, Tanya, and Rocky's communicators all went off, alerting them to the alarms blaring downstairs. Adam swiftly handed Katie to Aisha, who also scooped Luke out of Rocky's arms. Rocky kissed Luke and Katie each on the forehead, and then gave Aisha a quick kiss.

"Be careful," she told him, balancing Katie on her hip, Luke nestled in her arm. "Bring them back safe."

"I will," Rocky told her, before he followed everyone else down in the basement. He wasn't surprised to find Haley and Billy already at the computers. Adam and Ethan were assembling the five ray guns, while Connor leaned over Haley's chair, waiting for her to bring up the feed.

"They're at the beach," Haley told them the minute the feed was up. "No triptoids or tyrannodrones this time," she added.

"No," Connor confirmed, shaking his head. "Just three rangers and what the hell is that?" he stated, frowning and pointing to the dinosaur creature on the screen.

"Guess Mesogog means business this time," Ethan told him, standing beside his best friend. Connor sighed and shook his head.

"You three ready to do this?" Connor asked.

"More than ready," Tanya confirmed.

"Absolutely," Adam added.

"Yep," Rocky stated at the same time. Connor nodded, and within moments, all five rangers had morphed. Tanya and Adam each traded their Zeo Laser Pistols for their ray guns, holding the weapon in hand, while the reversal rays were strapped at their sides. Ethan did the same with his Thundermax Saber. Connor and Rocky each maintained a hold on their ray guns for the moment, as per the plan. "Let's go," Rocky shouted to the group behind him.

It didn't take them long using the raptor cycles and a dino ATV to reach the beach. All five dismounted, Connor in the lead, Rocky and Adam bringing up the rear, sharing one of the two four wheeled vehicles. They all dismounted and raced toward where the other three rangers were lined up beside the creature that Connor had pointed out on the computer monitors.

"You're going down Power Rangers!" Trent growled, and Connor rolled his eyes inside his helmet.

"Try again Trent," Connor replied. "We won't let you succeed."

"This will be fun," Kira taunted in return, her voice dripping with cruel amusement. Per usual, Tommy didn't say a word, but he did shift into fighting stance.

"Can't you guys just come quietly for once?" Ethan groaned. He really didn't want to have to fight them. In answer to his question, Kira lunged forward and landed a kick against his chest that sent him spiraling backwards. He cartwheeled his arms to steady himself and keep upright.

"I think you can take that as a no," Rocky told Ethan. "Whoa!" he exclaimed, dodging backwards just in time to avoid Tommy's fist coming into contact with his helmet. "Damn it! Who said go?"

"I know I didn't," Connor retorted, kicking Trent when the white clad ranger got too close.

As soon as Kira had kicked Ethan, Tanya had run forward, engaging the other yellow ranger. She grabbed both of the younger woman's shoulders, and attempted to press her down into the sand. She'd almost succeeded when a laser struck her, sending her flying backwards. She skidded in the sand and looked up, searching for the source of the blast, her eyes falling on the dino bird thing.

"The thing is going to complicate things," Tanya shouted to her friends, clutching her chest as she stood back up. Kira was standing beside the creature, laughing darkly.

"You rangers are pathetic," the creature called. "Earth is doomed if you're its only protection," she taunted.

Kira pulled her Thundermax Saber out, shifted it into saber mode, held it across her chest, and charged toward Tanya. The second yellow ranger reacted by grabbing her Zeo Power Pod Sword from her side and catching the saber on the hilt. Both female rangers struggled against each other, trying to use their strength to force the other two her knees. "Give up now, Tanya, you can't win," Kira told her, her voice cold.

"I'll never give up on you," Tanya replied, as both sprung apart, panting slightly from their effort. They began to circle one another. "You know that Kira!" The younger yellow ranger just growled in response. She wanted nothing to do with Tanya's sentimentality. All she wanted was to destroy her.

While they battled, Connor and Ethan circled Trent. Occasionally one of them would spring into the circle to land a blow on Trent, attempting to keep him guessing who the attacker would be and tire him out as he fought to defend himself. Trent used his drago sword to fend off blows from their Thundermax Sabers in saber mode, catching each strike on the blade.

"Connor," Ethan called out. "He's too fast," he added in.

"Don't give up Ethan. We just need a clear shot."

"I'll give you a clear shot," Trent stated. "When I send you straight to hell."

"Aww, come on dude, you don't mean that," Connor stated, before Trent growled and kicked him in the stomach. Connor stumbled backwards, landing in the sand. "Ok, maybe you did," he added, as Trent stalked towards him. "Ethan! Little help here buddy!" he called out.

"Hey Trent! Look behind you!" Ethan stated, and Trent spun at the waist, his arms out to each side. Ethan had converted his weapon into blaster mode and had it pointed at Trent's left wrist, his morpher locked in the blue ranger's sights. However, before Ethan could pull the trigger, he was hit in the side by the dinosaur creature as it glided through the air, sending him toppling to the ground in a shower of sparks.

"Damn it!" Ethan hissed, and Connor hit the dirt with his fist. They'd been so close. "Tanya wasn't kidding. Rocky; Adam; head's up. She's heading your way!"

"Thanks for the warning Ethan," Adam called back. Like Connor and Ethan, he and Rocky were doing their best to engage Tommy in battle. Both had their Zeo Power Pod Swords drawn and were using them to attempt to land blows against Tommy's body. Adam had his Zeo Laser Pistol in his other hand and was attempted to hit the morpher on Tommy's left wrist without making it obvious that that was his objective. The moment Tommy, Trent, and Kira knew where the rangers were aiming, the harder it would be to do so. They had to sever their connection to the morphing grid as quickly and as discretely as possible. He almost had a clear shot, when Tommy sent a kick against his wrist. Adam's blast shot straight into the sky, as Tommy whirled around and landed a punch against Rocky, the moment the dinosaur creature landed beside him.

"Pathetic," Tommy spat at Rocky and Adam, as the two regrouped together. "You never deserved to wear those uniforms."

"Oh, like you did," Adam growled back in response.

"You're nothing without my leadership," Tommy told him, his voice cutting through them like icicles. "Just give up now," he stated, as he and the mutation walked closer to them.

"Surrender to Mesogog, Rangers, and we promise to make your deaths quick and painless," she spoke in a reptilian hiss.

"Didn't anyone teach you," Rocky retorted. "Power Rangers never surrender," he added in, and Adam fired his laser pistol at the creature, which stumbled back slightly. It screeched and two spherical energy balls erupted from within its mouth, striking each of the zeo rangers and propelling them backwards through the air.

"You might want to rethink that whole no surrender stance, rangers," Tommy told them. "Otherwise," he added, "this is going to get really painful," he added, as he charged toward them, fist raised. Adam rolled to the side just quickly enough to avoid his head coming between Tommy's fist and the beach. Tommy roared in irritation, as all three of them regained their feet, and began a series of punches and kicks aimed at incapacitating the other, Adam and Rocky alternating attacks.

"You're mine now," Trent stated several yards away from where Tommy battled his two former teammates. Connor was on the ground, ray gun clutched in one hand, his saber in the other as he scrambled backwards trying to keep distance between himself and the razor edge of Trent's drago sword. Ethan lay face down in the sand from a kick to the back of his head.

"Come on Trent, I know we've had our issues, but can't we talk about this?" Connor asked, desperately casting his eyes from Ethan, who was pushing himself back to his feet, to Trent's visor covered face. The white ranger had begun his motion with the drago sword that would conjure up his energy arrows. At such a close ranger, Connor knew he wouldn't escape unharmed. Trent paused for a moment to laugh darkly at Connor's suggestion.

"To put it simply, Connor," Trent replied, his voice tinged with hatred. "No!"

"Yeah," Connor replied, biting his lip slightly. "Didn't think so," he added, with a simple nod. Instantly a blast of energy struck Trent's wrist, causing him to cry out in pain as he clutched it to his chest. Sparks sprouted from his morpher and bolts of electricity ran up his arm as he groaned, dropping to his knees, his ranger suit evaporating round him. He panted for a moment, glaring up at Connor, not even realizing it was Ethan behind him who had taken out his power. "See you in a bit Trent," Connor stated flatly, aiming his ray gun directly at the stone that rested against Trent's bare chest. There was a flash of red light as he fired, and the black haired teenager collapsed backwards unconscious in the sand.

"You alright?" Ethan asked Connor who nodded. Ethan lifted his wrist to his mouth. "Haley, we got Trent. Try and get his morpher back online as fast as you can. We're going to need all the help we can get," he spoke.

"On it Ethan," was Haley's reply.

"You go help Tanya with Kira," Connor ordered Ethan. "I'm going to see what I can do about Dr. O and the lizard face." Ethan nodded once and both teenagers took off in separate directions, leaving Trent on the ground, both hoping he'd be alright.

Ethan raced toward the two females rangers only a few yards away. Kira was using her weapon to press Tanya into the ground. Tanya had one knee in the sand, her other foot in a lunge position, one hand gripping her Zeo Power Pod sword which she was using to keep Kira from fully over powering her. Her other hand held her Zeo Laster Pistol, which she couldn't successfully aim due to the close range of the female dino thunder teenager. Ethan thrust his Thundermax Saber into its holster as he grabbed the ray gun out of it. "Tanya!" he shouted, as he ran, "need some help." Kira spun to face him, and Tanya swept her knee out from under her in a circular kick, spinning on her ankle, her outstretched leg sweeping Kira's feet out from underneath her. Kira went down, backward, supporting herself on her wrists, facing Ethan. Tanya fired her laser over her shoulder, striking the girl in left wrist, her morpher giving off sparks and electiricity as she powered down, collapsing in pain, from the rapid and not on purpose loss of power, onto her back in the sand. She opened her eyes to see Ethan standing over her, the ray gun aimed at her chest. He fired immediately, and her eyes rolled back as the light from the stone around her neck went out in a flash.

"Two down," Tanya told him, nodding to Trent. "Let's get her over to him. I'll stay and guard them. You help the others with Tommy," she stated.

"Right," Ethan nodded, picking Kira up gently and carrying her over to Trent. Tanya ran behind him and dropped to her knees in the sand as he laid her down. "Contact Haley, tell her we got Kira."

"I will," Tanya told him, and watched as he raced off towards the far end of the beach. She could see Rocky on the ground, and Connor and Adam weren't doing much better. She hoped the addition of Ethan would be enough to tip the scales in their favor. She glanced down at the two unconscious rangers beside her and raised her wrist to her mouth to contact Haley.

"Ethan," Connor laughed slightly when his friend ran up beside him. "Everything go according to plan?"

"Yeah," Ethan replied, dropping into a defensive stance between Connor and Adam. Rocky pushed himself to his feet, and stood on Adam's other side. "Tanya's staying with them both until they wake up."

"So only one left," Rocky stated with a nod towards the black ranger who had summoned his brachio staff. "You know there's only one way we're getting a clean shot, right?" he asked the group.

"Yeah," Adam, Ethan, and Connor stated as one, with determined nods.

"But let's see if we can try in any other way first. I'd rather not have to do it." Adam asked them, getting nods in agreement from the other three.

All four rangers charged, swords and sabers raised. Tommy twisted and spun, meeting each of them in battle, and countering their attacks. The back and forth went on for several moments before the dinosaur creature charged into the fray, firing several torpedo like lasers from the ends of its talon capped fingers. The blasts tossed the four good rangers into the air, and since gravity plays a role, they all plummeted hard back down to the sand, groaning as they struck.

"Surrender yet Rangers?" Tommy asked them, sadistically, as they helped one another slowly to their feet, a few gripping their chests in pain.

"We're not getting anywhere with lizard breath interfering," Connor growled.

"Let's say we give her a taste of our fire power?" Rocky asked the group. They nodded in response, and lined up beside each other, drawing their laser pistols and sabers in blaster mode forward.

"Ready?" Ethan asked.

"Aim," Adam stated.

"Fire," Connor and Rocky spoke as one and all four fired their weapons at the mutation. She screamed in pain and leapt into the air, flying straight towards them, at the last moment, she pulled up and soared over their heads, heading for the cliffs behind them.

"She got away!" Ethan growled.

"We'll deal with her later," Connor told him, shifting his attention back onto the black ranger who was now alone. "We have something else to take care of."

"Guys," Rocky stated. "I don't think we have a choice. If we're going to end this, we've got to do it."

"It's risky," Adam stated.

"No other way," Connor agreed, and Ethan just nodded.

Opposite them, Tommy dropped to his knees and turned the dial on his weapon. "Brachio Staff! Fire Strike!" he shouted, clasping the weapon with both hands and raising his arms above his head. The moment he did, just as he began to bring the staff back down to strike the earth, Connor, Ethan, Rocky, and Adam fired their weapons straight at his chest. All four struck as one, sending Tommy flying backwards through the air. He hit the sand and skidded through it before coming to a stop. All four rangers ran towards him, at the sound of Tanya screaming for him from where she had jumped to her feet. She hadn't expected to see her friends fire on him. She only dropped back to her knees, keeping her eyes locked on them, when she heard Trent and Kira groan, as they came to.

The rangers drew to a halt as they reached his prone body and Adam shot the morpher on his wrist without hesitation. All four looked away as it sparked before losing power, leaving Tommy unmorphed and unconscious, breathing very slowly in the sand on his back. The rock around his neck pulsed bright red. Rocky glared at it and drew out the ray gun, firing once. The area flashed red, and the light went out. Wordlessly, Ethan used his strength to pick Tommy up and place him over his shoulder. Connor led the way back over to where Tanya was helping Kira sit up. Trent was already in a sitting position, his knees pulled toward his chest, his bare feet in the sand, and his head clutched between his hands.

"Is he ok?" Tanya asked, as they lay Tommy's limp body down beside Kira and Trent.

"We don't know," Rocky told her honestly, while Adam shook his head.

"Are you two ok?" Connor asked, crouching down between Kira and Trent. Trent looked up at him, and sighed, giving him a single nod. Kira threw her arms around Connor's neck and hugged him close.

"I'm so sorry," she told him. Connor smiled, and patted her arm, pulling her away so he could see her face.

"It's alright," he stated. "I should have protected you better. But you're both alright now?" he questioned, more than stated.

"Yeah," Kira stated, with a nod.

"Connor, Ethan, guys I don't even know what to say," Trent began, looking back and forth between the two of them.

"Nothing to say," Ethan told him, as they clasped hands and hugged one another. "The rocks had you under their control. You had no choice."

"Is Dr. O?" Kira started to ask, turning her head to see him still lying unconscious. Rocky shook his head.

"He's still alive," he told her.

"Barely," Adam whispered.

"We had to knock him out to get at his morpher," Connor explained. "We tried not to but," Connor was cut off by a shrill screech. They had just a millisecond to duck, covering their heads with their hands, the five morphed individuals leaning over to shield the other three as several blasts rained down on them. Sand sprayed up around them as the blasts hit and the mutant creature landed directly in front of them cackling evilly.

"Fuck!" Connor groaned. He was beyond irritated at that point. "I'd forgotten about that thing."

"You two up for battle? We could use your help," Ethan asked his two conscious teammates. Trent nodded, but Kira hesitated.

"Our morphing energy was fried," she protested, despite standing at the same time as Trent. She and Trent yanked the rocks off their necks and tossed them onto the sand beside them.

"Don't worry about that guys," Haley's voice came through their communicators. "I've already got you reconnected to the morphing grid."

"Awesome Haley," Kira stated.

"Good to have you both back," Haley told them.

"Thanks," Trent stated with a nod. "Ready?" he asked Kira who nodded to him.

"Dino Thunder! Power Up!" Kira shouted.

"White Ranger! Dino Power!" Trent called out and they went from five to seven morphed rangers.

"You guys go," Tanya called out. "I'll watch over Tommy," she added in and they all nodded to her, before Connor took the lead, and the six rangers sprinted toward where the creature had landed. She took her eyes off them for a moment and looked down at Tommy's face. "You can wake up now. We kind of need you," she told him, frowning beneath her helmet.

She looked back at her friends, watching as they did whatever they could to land blows on the mutant. Tanya was surprised at how fast and nimble the creature was. She cartwheeled across the sand, always seeming to stay one step ahead of the rangers, never letting them close enough to do much damage. She glided through the air, dropping laser bombs on them, or firing blasts from her mouth from a distance. She easily dodged the blasts from their weapons. At one point the creature fired both her mouth and hand lasers at the rangers. Tanya turned her head away, crouching low over Tommy's body to shield him from the spray of sand. The sound of an engine caused her to look up behind her, as another vehicle approached. "What are you doing here?" she growled, a bit of shock and anger in her voice, but also slight relief.

"Billy wanted to examine Tommy up close," Aisha stated. "He's worried about the quadruple blast he took to the chest. And I wasn't letting him come alone."

"We'll watch over Tommy," Billy added in, dropping to his knees beside his friend. Both former rangers wore back packs that Tanya assumed carried everything Billy could possibly think he might need. "Go help the others," he commanded her. Tanya hesitated for a moment, considering sending both powerless former rangers back to Haley, but realized they wouldn't go and she'd just be wasting her time and energy arguing with them.

"Right," Tanya stated, turning and pushing herself to her feet. She raced out to her friends, some of who were on the ground, leaning over and helping Adam to his feet.

"Is he awake?" Rocky asked, her, taking his eyes off the creature for a millisecond before turning back.

"No," Tanya stated. "Billy and Aisha are with him."

"I'll kill her," Rocky growled, clutching his chest as he fought to stand up, and Tanya knew he was pale at the thought of Aisha being so close to a monster battle.

"Later, Rocky," Connor told him. "We're a bit busy at the moment."

"There won't be a later for you pitiful rangers," the monster hissed at them. "When I'm through with you there won't even be a scrap of spandex to identify you."

"You won't win, bird brain," Adam retorted, Tanya still hanging onto his arm.

"Let's try the Z-rex blaster," Connor suggested to his three teammates who all nodded.

"We'll back you up with the Adavanced Zeo Laser Pistols," Rocky told them. While Connor and his team summoned their weapons, Rocky and the other zeo rangers pulled both of their side arms from their holsters and connected the laser pistols with the power pod swords, creating the more powerful laser guns. Z-rex blaster assembled, the four dino thunder rangers took their positions, and the three zeo rangers lined up beside them.

"All together," Connor commanded, receiving nods from the other six rangers.

"Ready, aim," they all shouted as one, "Fire!" they yelled and all four devices blasted energy that struck the mutant directly in the head, sending her flying backwards, similar to how Tommy been thrown backwards. The rangers waited as the sand settled back down.

"As long as Mesogog doesn't activate the hydro regenerator," Connor laughed, "I think we should be alri…" he was cut off by a series of laser beams firing and striking the seven rangers, throwing them backwards.

"You were saying," Trent groaned, pushing himself to his feet. He grabbed hold of Kira, who was clutching her chest and helped her stand again.

"It seems like nothing we do even touches her," Kira remarked.

"There's one thing we haven't tried," Connor replied, crouching on the ground, panting and glaring at the mutant behind his visor. "Kira? Ethan? I think it's time for Triassic Power?"

"Absolutely," Ethan agreed, nodding once.

"You got it," Kira added in. Connor nodded to them both and stood up very slowly before he summoned the shield of Triumph.

"Triassic Power!" he shouted, stepping between Kira and Ethan. "Engage," he stated, as Kira and Ethan each angled their body towards him, allowing their energy to feed into the shield he held in front of his face. A gold winged mask appeared over the front of Connor's helmet, followed by two gold shoulder armor pieces. The triangles on his uniform turned a blue color and became lines in gold, while his morpher turned gold as well. The three toed dinosaur print on his chest gained two additional talons. Kira and Ethan leaned over, groaning slightly as Connor's transformation took some of their energy. They'd learned over time how not to give him all of it, but that didn't make it any easier. Trent immediately went to help steady Kira, while Rocky instinctively grabbed hold of Ethan's arm.

"What the hell is that?" Adam asked, frowning as Connor stalked closer toward the creature, the shield of Triumph raised.

"Triassic power," Ethan replied.

"Wow," Tanya breathed out.

"Yeah," Kira laughed slightly. "Not even his highest power activation," she added in. "He also has a battlizer."

"Why do the new guys get all the cool toys?" Rocky stated amusement in his voice.

"Connor!" Ethan shouted toward his leader. "That thing's too powerful. Better not take any chances."

"Yeah," Trent stated. "Don't leave anything for a zord battle. I don't know if we have it in us."

"Right," Connor replied, with a nod. Underneath his helmet, he was glaring at the creature. "Battlizer Power Up!" he added, and a red helmet appeared over his gold morpher. He angled his arm straight up, and a burst of flame encircled him, before wrapping around his body and transforming him. The battlizer power gave his arms and legs the ability to extend, turning the suit around them black. The triangles on his suit extended upwards the way they did in super dino mode. Over his right hand, was a red dinosaur armor similar to Ethan's triceratops, with a gold horn on the end appeared. Over his left hand was a red and gold dinosaur armor similar to Kira's pterodactyl. A red and gold metal breast plate appeared over his torso, with metallic extensions over his shoulders. In essence, he looked part man, part robot.

"Ok, yeah," Rocky stated simply, with a nod, one arm still supporting Ethan. "I definitely want to know why the new guys get the cool toys."

"You're in deep trouble now," Connor growled at the creature who had watched both his transformations. She laughed, malice in her tone.

"It's you who's in trouble, ranger," she hissed, opening her mouth wide and firing lasers at Connor. When the dust cleared, Connor hadn't even stumbled. Beneath his helmet, he glared at her. "Huh?" the creature stated in disbelief.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Connor growled in response. Connor fired a blast from the triceratops armor, but the creature leapt over it. Connor charged towards her, leaving his friends behind him, as the armor over his hands disappeared, exposing his fists. Connor landed several consecutive powerful punches against the creature, and added a few round house kicks that caused the mutant to pedal backwards in the sand as it tried to get away. Connor spun and landed a strike with his right hand against the creature's sternum which caused a wave of energy that sent the creature hurtling backwards, skidding across the beach. The mutant returned to her feet, and pointed both hands toward Connor, firing lasers at him. This time Connor employed his speed to race around her, avoiding being struck by the blasts, and ending behind her. She roared and spun, meeting him in another round of hand to hand combat. Connor grabbed her by the chest armor and lifted her into the air, tossing her away from him. The mutant screeched and unfurled its wings, catching the air and gliding, turning back and heading straight for Connor. Connor leapt into the air and shouted "Stretch Kick!" His left leg extended as he bent backwards and smashed directly into the mutant, reversing her trajectory as another massive wave of energy resonated from the strike. She landed in the sand, pushing herself back to her feet weakly. "Have you had enough yet?" Connor shouted at her.

"Never!" she screeched, as she began running towards him.

"Fine!" Connor retorted. "Cannons!" he shouted, and the armor over his shoulders sprouted two cannon gun devices.

About a hundred yards away, Tommy groaned slightly, blinking a few times, as Aisha's face came into focus above his. He realized he had an oxygen mask on over his face helping him breath.

"Easy now," Aisha told him, "you took four laser blasts to the chest."

Tommy sat up, propping himself on his elbows in the sand. He reached up and removed the mask, handing it back to Billy. "Yeah," Tommy tried to laugh slightly, "I remember," he added, rubbing the spot his friends had struck with one of his hands. "Why do I think they did it on purpose," he added with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Because they probably did," Billy laughed, running a bio scanner over him. "You're alright. You'll live," he added with a smirk. Tommy glared at him slightly and sighed, shaking his head. He felt the weight of the stone on his neck and reached down to yank it off, placing it in the sand beside the two others. His gaze turned to a frown as soon as he saw the other rocks, remembering the two other rangers and of course the creature they'd come with.

"Where is everyone else?" Tommy asked, realizing that he was still on the beach, he began to look around, frantic, until his eyes fell on the battle closer to the ocean. His gaze widened and he pushed himself to his feet, sprinting towards the rangers, as he realized that Connor was in Super Battlizer mode, his cannons primed and ready.

"Tommy!" Billy and Aisha called after him, but Tommy ignored them.

"Connor!" Tommy shouted, fear in his eyes as he ran. "Don't!" he yelled as loud as he could still propelling himself forward as fast as he could.

"Battle Blast!" he heard Connor shout as he launched himself into the air above the mutant. "Fire!" he added, having not heard Tommy's warning. Twin laser beams erupted from the cannons, engulfing the mutant, and Connor landed, just as Tommy reached him, the creature exploding in a series of sparks and a giant fire ball, which ignited several pieces of driftwood that littered the beach around where they stood. Ethan, Trent, Kira, Tanya, Rocky, Adam, Aisha, and Billy all raced to where Tommy and Connor stood opposite each other, Connor with his back to the destruction of the monster, Tommy watching it a look of horror across his face. "Dr. O!" Connor stated, powering down his Battlizer and removing his helmet. The other morphed rangers followed his lead. "You're ok!" he added, his face breaking into a smile. Tommy shifted his eyes from the beach, tears welling up in them, as he looked at Connor, not finding words. "What's wrong?" Connor asked, frowning, realizing something horrible was happening, but not knowing what it was.

"Tommy?" Adam asked, trying to piece together what was happening. As far as he was concerned, they had just turned three evil rangers good again, and Connor had barbequed a giant dinosaur bird bent on their destruction. He did not see the problem.

Tommy didn't respond. Instead he shut his mouth in a tight line and took his eyes off his friends, walking past them towards the blaze between them and the ocean. He broke into a sprint after a moment, spurred on by something.

"What are you doing?" Kira shouted after him, taking off running. When she spotted what he must have, she came to a halt. "Oh god," she stated, her gloved hand curling into a fist over her mouth, as the others all raced toward her. They all watched in horror as Tommy dropped to his knees, picked up Kimberly's battered, bruised, singed, and broken body, and hugged it to his chest, allowing his tears to start falling, as he struggled to sense breathing or find a pulse.

* * *

I did rate this thing teen, so no one can yell at me for this ending. You should have known something like this was coming.

Anyway, reviews of any kind are welcomed and loved. Only 1 more chapter to go.

Fateless


	50. Chapter 50

I promised Friday, and it's Friday! Just want to say thank you to everyone who's been reading since the beginning, who just found it and started reading, and to everyone in between.

* * *

Trent's mouth fell open as he grabbed Kira, and pulled her in tight to his chest. She turned her head and buried it in his shoulder, crying. To their right, Adam and Tanya mirrored their positions, supporting one another. Tanya looked away, but Adam couldn't peel his eyes off what he was seeing, his expression showing that he was horrified, a few tears spilling over his eyes. To Trent and Kira's left, Aisha screamed and tried to dart forward, but Rocky grabbed her around the waist, keeping her back from the flames that had engulfed the space that was littered with debris. She tried to fight him off, desperately trying to reach her best friend, tears running down her face. Rocky dug his heels into the ground, and even allowed some of the power of his half morphed state to keep her locked in his arms. Billy hit his knees, muttering something unintelligible on Rocky and Aisha's left. To Adam's right, Ethan stood, pale and slightly green, running his hands over his face as if he couldn't process what was happening. And to Ethan's right, Connor was on his hands and knees, pounding his fists against the sand.

"She was the monster!" he stated, anguish in his voice. "This is my fault," he added, squeezing his eyes shut and wrapping his arms around himself, trying to stop the shaking of his body as he processed what had just happened. He'd used his full power, the strongest mode he had to destroy a monster, and that monster had turned out to be Kimberly. He suddenly powered down completely, Ethan, Kira, and Trent following suit. Trent held Kira in one arm as the three of them walked over to Connor. He placed his hand on his friend's shoulder, trying to give him what comfort he could.

"You didn't know. We didn't know," Trent told him, his voice quiet. Behind them they could hear Aisha's sobbing.

"I hate him!" Connor shouted, tilting his head up to the air. "I hate him!" he roared a second time. No one had to ask who he was yelling at. But Connor's voice seemed to snap Tommy out of his trance.

He'd been on his knees in the sand, stroking the hair out of Kimberly's face, running his hands over the bruises and burns that covered it, rocking her back and forth. She bled from several different places. One of her legs was bent in a strange direction. Most of her body was covered in bruises and burns that it was nearly impossible to tell the actual color of her skin. "Billy!" he called quietly at first, his voice shaking. When he realized that he hadn't quite been audible, he raised his volume, glancing over his shoulder. "Billy!" he shouted louder, still holding her body and rocking her back and forth. "Billy! Damn it!" he yelled a third time.

The third shout was enough to snap Billy out of his stupor, and the former blue ranger struggled to his feet, running to Tommy's side. Ethan noticed he hadn't grabbed his pack from earlier and raced back to get it. Billy's tear filled eyes met Tommy's as he dropped back into the sand.

"Is she alive?" Tommy asked Billy, desperation in his voice.

"I don't" Billy started, looking away from Tommy and down at Kimberly, his mind moving too slowly for him. He started to hyperventilate slightly. "I don't know," he stated. "I don't have the scanner," he stated.

"Right here Billy," Ethan told him, having moved faster than he thought he could to bring the pack to his older counterpart. Billy gave him a grim nod of thanks, and dug through the pack, pulling out a bio scanner.

"Lay her flat," Billy told Tommy, whipping his eyes on his arm to clear his vision of tears. Tommy did as he said, not taking his eyes off her as the ocean wind blew through her hair. He realized he was holding his breath as Billy ran the scanner over her body. Everyone was silent and tense for a few moments; the only sounds were the crashing of waves and the mechanized noises of the bio scanner. "I don't know how, but she's alive," Billy finally breathed out, relief evident in his face. Connor's sigh of relief was audible as he collapsed back onto his hands and knees. Rocky, Adam, and Trent each pulled Aisha, Tanya, and Kira into them tighter. Tommy let a few tears drip down his face as he pointed his head up to the sky and whispered a quiet thank you. He wouldn't admit to anyone, but he was praying that if Zordon had anything to do with their lives since his sacrifice that he would have protected Kimberly. "We should get her back as fast as possible."

"Haley," Ethan spoke into his wrist. He was maintaining as much calm as he possibly could while his mentor and leader seemed to be unable to function fully, not that he blamed either of them.

"Already on it Ethan," Haley spoke. "You'll have an invisiportal opening in about thirty seconds."

"Thanks," Ethan replied, dropping his wrist.

"Dr. O," Trent spoke up. "You and Billy take her back through the portal. We'll take the bikes back," he spoke and Tommy looked at him for a moment, and nodded. Trent noticed his eyes were hollow. "She'll be ok," he stated, even though he wasn't sure if it was true. Tommy nodded again, and scooped Kimberly into his arms, being as gentle as he could. Billy stood up beside him as the portal Haley had called up swirled into activity. Tommy looked at his friends who nodded to him, and walked into the portal, Billy following behind.

"Come on," Rocky stated, supporting Aisha at his side, as the portal closed behind Billy. "I want to put as much distance between us and this beach," he stated.

"Agreed," Adam said and the two zeo rangers led the group back to the raptor cycles and dino AtVs that they'd left behind. Adam and Rocky each climbed onto one of the ATVs, allowing Tanya and Aisha to climb on behind them. Trent took the front position on Kira's bike, while she climbed on behind him. Connor and Ethan mounted their own bikes, and Rocky took the lead, as the eight rangers rode back to the command post in silence, all praying as hard as they could that Kimberly would be alright.

* * *

Hours had passed back at Tommy's house, and it was now nearing noon. Billy had run several more scans on Kimberly who lay in a semi-inclined position on the stretcher, and had determined that there was nothing the hospital would do for her that he couldn't do there. If they brought her to the hospital, they'd have to find a way to explain what had happened to her. Miraculously, she had no internal bleeding and appeared to need no surgery. Billy had put an oxygen mask on her to help her breath, and hooked her up to an EEG and an EKG. He added a pulse oximeter to her finger tip. With Haley's help, he'd taken an x-ray of her leg and reset the bone, before casting it. A few more x-rays showed that she suffered a few minor fractures on her ribs. He and Haley had sutured her deepest gashes and cleaned up her skin, washing away the dried blood and soot from the explosions. Billy had applied burn ointment and bandaged the worst parts of her body, which happened to be her arms. She had particularly bad burn on her cheek, which he cleaned, ointmented, and bandaged using medical tape to hold the gaze in place. Lastly, she had a mild concussion. Billy wasn't surprised by its existence, but rather by the fact that it wasn't worse. Everyone had watched while Billy and Haley worked, all afraid to say anything, and really not knowing what to say. Billy had warned Tommy who had stayed at her side the entire time that he didn't know if the evil had been removed from her mind. He'd wanted to enclose her in a force field, but Tommy had refused. He was confident that she would be back to normal. His gut told him so. No one wanted to argue with him, as Billy addressed the small shoulder wound he had. No one asked where he'd gotten it. It had been Haley's idea finally, to encourage everyone to head upstairs and leave Tommy alone to sit with her. That had been slightly more than three hours before, and those upstairs were becoming as worried about Tommy as they were about Kimberly.

Having enough of his teammate's silence, especially since he felt responsible, Connor had excused himself, and gone back down the stairs to find Tommy sitting beside Kimberly's bed, much as he had on Wednesday, running his fingers across the back of her hand. He didn't shift at all when Connor approached, his mind entirely locked on Kimberly.

"Dr. O?" Connor asked softly, and Tommy jumped slightly, not realizing he wasn't alone. He exhaled sharply, catching his breath, and turned, letting his eyes fall on Connor.

"Connor," he stated, shaking his head slightly. "You scared me."

"Sorry," Connor muttered, walking up to stand beside him, looking over at Kimberly. She looked extremely fragile. Like one touch would cause her to disintegrate into dust. "How is she?"

"She's stable," Tommy told him, looking back at Kimberly. Connor set his mouth into a grim line and nodded, listening to the machines Billy had set up beeping around her. He couldn't understand most of what they indicated, but he could tell that her heart beat, and the rise and fall of her chest were stable and rhythmic. That had to be a good sign.

"Listen Dr. O," Connor started, turning his head to look directly at his science teacher.

"It's not your fault, Connor," Tommy interrupted him. The look on Connor's face said that he didn't believe him. Tommy sighed and pushed himself off the stool, leading Connor over to the leather couches. He sat down, and gave Connor a pointed look that told him to sit beside him. "Connor, you can't beat yourself up for this."

"Why not? The Battlizer was my idea; if I'd known, I could have found another way."

"But that's the point, isn't it?" Tommy told him. "You didn't know. You had no idea the monster that was attacking you was Kimberly," he explained, looking over at her. "What you did know was that your team and your friends were in danger."

"I guess," Connor stated, leaning forward on his knees, clutching his head in his hands.

"No you guess," Tommy told him, shaking his head. "You did right," he added. "Sometimes being the leader means making the tough decision. I don't blame you, and neither will she."

"You don't know that," Connor retorted.

"Yeah," Tommy told him, simply. "I do. She'll never blame you. Me, maybe. You never."

"Why you?" Connor asked.

"That spell we were under," Tommy began. "We don't forget anything we did or said while under it."

"Yeah," Connor nodded. "Adam said that."

"Adam?" Tommy asked frowning.

"Long story," Connor retorted with a slight snort of laughter. If he didn't laugh, he realized he'd be traumatized by it forever. "You were saying?"

Tommy opened his mouth to retort, trying to figure out what Connor had meant about Adam, but he decided that could be something they discussed later. He had a feeling Adam might want to be present when it was explained. "Um… yeah," Tommy continued, trying to figure out exactly where he'd left off. "Anyway, like I said. I remember everything that happened. She will too. I'm the one who turned her. I'm the one who gave her to Mesogog to play with. I'm the one who let Mesogog transform her into that creature. If anyone is to blame," Tommy told him, "it's me. Not even Kira and Trent knew Kimberly was the monster, but I watched Mesogog do it. I made no move to stop him, even when she called for me."

"Trent said Elsa had you guys under some kind of control?" Connor asked after a long pause and Tommy nodded, leaning forward as well and looking down at his shoes.

"Conditioned fear response," Tommy stated. "As long as we were wearing those stones Elsa could hurt us, badly. It felt like a million needles being plunged into our brains."

"Harsh," Connor stated simply and Tommy laughed slightly. "You're ok now thought right?"

"I don't know," Tommy told him honestly. "It was conditioned into us," he added. "I don't know that we won't be flinching every time we see her. Especially if she's got the baton she used to inflict the pain with her." Connor nodded understanding and they both lapsed into silence for a few moments. "I owe you my thanks," Tommy stated after a bit.

"No you don't," Connor replied, but Tommy shook his head.

"I do," Tommy stated. "You kept the team together while it was falling apart. You protected everyone from us. And you helped turn us back to normal. Thanks doesn't seem nearly enough," Tommy told him. Connor just shook his head and sighed.

"Billy think she'll wake up soon?" Connor asked him. Tommy shrugged his shoulders. "You gonna come upstairs?"

"I don't want her to be alone," Tommy replied, and Connor nodded. "You going back up?"

"I should," Connor replied. "I promised Katie I'd be right back," he added. "Just came down to make sure you were doing alright."

"Is everyone upstairs ok?" Tommy asked, realizing he'd been neglecting the rest of his teams. Connor nodded.

"They're shaken up, and worried, but they're hanging in there."

"You're doing great as a leader," Tommy laughed. "Let them know I'm ok, will you?"

"No problem Dr. O," Connor told him, as they both stood up. "Thanks for the pep talk. We'll call it even."

"Yeah, right," Tommy laughed at him, watching as Connor went back up the stairs, he pulled his stool back up beside Kimberly, and took her hand back in his. He used his other hand and brushed her hair off her forehead. "Now," he told her, "Don't you dare go and make me into a liar. He didn't mean for any of this to happen, so you'd better forgive him," he told her, feeling his tears start up again, as the scene of Connor's Battlizer cannons played out in his head again. "Come on beautiful," he continued to speak to her, "wake up for me. I'll never ask you for anything else ever again," he told her. "I'm so sorry for this. It's all my fault. Every bit of it, start to finish," he added, tears still running down his face. Nothing changed. Her EKG and EEG remained steady. Her breathing remained even. Aside from her steady rise and fall of her chest, her body remained motionless. Tommy watched it for a while, letting his mind lose focus on the machines so that he could listen to her heart beat. When he had been terrified that it was no longer going, he realized it was one of the most amazing sounds he'd ever heard. They stayed like that for nearly another hour; both motionless but for different reasons; Tommy crying quietly, knowing his friends would leave him alone now that Connor had told them he was alright.

"Kim," he started again when he could no longer keep silent. "Please wake up," he told her. "I don't know what you want from me," he told her, although a large traitorous portion of himself knew that was a lie. "I know you're mad at me. I know you want nothing to do with me. I want nothing to do with me. This is all my fault," Tommy told her, shaking his head and gripping her hand tighter. He remembered everything that had happened while under Mesogog's control. He remembered the ending of their fight and he finally felt what he couldn't because of the stone. He sobbed slightly, before pushing himself off his stool slightly so that he was standing, leaning over Kim, her hand still clutched in his. He moved her oxygen mask so he could see her clearly and studied her face with his eyes for a moment, before closing his eyes and bending towards her, placing his lips squarely across her, kissing her as deeply as he dared so as not to hurt her. He pulled back, and looked at her, hoping for some slightly movement or acknowledgement of what he'd just done. He sank into the chair, replacing her mask, not finding any sign that she was waking up. "Beautiful," he stated. "Please wakeup," he repeated. "I can't live without you," he told her. "I… I love you," he stated, his voice barely above a whisper as he leaned forward, placing his head against her torso, his body shaking a bit as he cried.

"Took you long enough to tell me," Kimberly's weak voice reached his ears after a few silent moments. Tommy's head snapped up in response to stare at her face, his eyes gazing into hers. His mouth opened and closed like a fish, again. She laughed at him weakly behind the oxygen mask on her face. "Hey," she muttered, reaching the hand he didn't have imprisoned up to take the mask off, letting a small smile grace her lips.

"You're awake," Tommy finally found the words, unable to keep the relief from his voice or his eyes. He lost the fight to keep an enormous grin off his lips. Kimberly sighed and nodded slightly. "That's what it took to get you to wake up?"

"The kiss didn't hurt either," she told him with a bit of a laugh. Tommy blushed bright red. "You really should do that more often."

"I-" Tommy started to say, not really finding words, or processing what she was telling him. "What?"

"You really are an idiot," she laughed at him, groaning and arching her back as her body shaking caused her injuries to hurt.

"Easy," Tommy told her, running his fingers over her hand. "It's a miracle you're even alive."

"I remember," Kimberly stated simply.

"You do?" Tommy asked her, not sure. Kimberly nodded slowly groaning a bit as the pain in her body eased, and she sank back down on the stretcher. "Connor didn't" Tommy began to explain, but Kimberly shook her head.

"Of course he meant to," Kimberly told him. "I'm glad he did. I was trying to kill them. I knew exactly who they were, even if they didn't know me, and I was trying to kill them. He had to stop me," Kimberly stated, and Tommy sighed. He had been right. Kimberly would never hold what happened against Connor.

"I'm sorry," Tommy stated, dropping his head and releasing her hand. He no longer felt that it was acceptable for him to touch her.

"For what?" She asked him, disbelief in her voice. She frowned at him and then sighed, reading his expression. "Tommy, you were under a spell. I've forgiven you before for what you did under an evil spell, what would make this time any different?" she asked him.

"You nearly died," Tommy told her. "I saw the explosions."

"And the last time you nearly destroyed everything important to me," Kimberly argued with him. "But I forgave you then, and I forgive you now. There is nothing you could have done." Tommy stared at her for a few moments, trying to process what she was telling him. Finally, he gave up trying to argue with her and shook his head, letting a smile fall across his lips. Kimberly smiled in return. "So what's the damage?" she asked him.

"Billy can explain it better," Tommy told her, "but broken leg, a few fractured ribs, a very mild concussion, and more cuts, bruises, scrapes, and burns than you can count."

"Could have been worse," Kimberly replied with a shrug, looking over her own body. "Guess I'm not going back to work anytime soon," she added in, and Tommy laughed at her slightly. That was a major understatement. But part of his laugh was relief. If she wasn't planning to go back to work, than she might not have anything else she needed to leave immediately for. "How's your shoulder?"

"Billy disinfected it," he said with a shrug, indicating the wound she'd inflicted. "And stitched it up," he added.

"That's good," she added. They lapsed into silence for a few moments, Kimberly taking inventory of what she could see of herself, while Tommy sat on his stool, bracing his upper body with his elbows on the side of the stretcher, his hands folded together. "Tommy," Kimberly finally asked, "Did you mean what you said? You know, after you kissed me?"

Tommy blinked a few times, looking at her in the face. He felt like he was facing a giant monster without his megazord. Why would she ask him that? Well, he knew why, but he didn't want her to. He exhaled slowly and gulped before he nodded. "Yeah," he stated slowly, "I did."

"Good." Kimberly replied, and then paused, casting her eyes away from him and onto her lap. She folding her hands and examined her fingers, twisting them around each other, nervously. After a few moments, she looked up at him and met his eyes. "I love you too," she told him, a tiny smile breaking out on her lips.

Tommy could not believe the words that had just come out of her mouth. They were absolutely the four most amazing words he had ever heard in his entire life, but his brain was not processing their meaning. "You did not just say that," he replied, blinking. Kimberly laughed at him.

"Yes I did," she told him. "Tommy," she laughed, "I have been in love with you since I was fifteen years old. We lost a lot of time in between, but I still love you," she laughed at him. With every word, Tommy's smile was growing wider. He'd retaken her hand, his eyes searching hers. "Now, will you just kiss me?" she asked him, "gently!" she reminded him, when he dove straight in to do as she requested. He laughed at himself, feeling giddy for the first time in a very long time, and let his lips brush against hers, being gentle so as not to cause her any pain at all, but holding the sides of her face between his palms.

It was a while before they broke apart to the sound of someone saying "Ahem". They never did find out who it was, as when Tommy looked back over his shoulder, he saw every single individual who had been upstairs, including Katie and Luke. "Hey guys," Tommy laughed, running his hand over the back of his head and blushing slightly. "How long have you been there?"

Rocky, who carried Katie, Adam, Aisha, and Billy's faces changed from astonishment to massive grins, the two men shaking their heads and trying not to laugh at the situation. Tanya, holding Luke, wore a grin and was nodding her head as if in agreement with what had just happened. Haley sighed, a slight amused look on her face. If Tommy was happy, she could live with it. And the four teenagers wore looks of confusion, Connors mingled with a bit of disgust.

"Long enough to see our science teacher playing tonsil hockey," Connor retorted, shuddering at the thought. It was bad enough he had to see it. Now he'd reminded himself that it had happened.

"Shut up, Connor," Kira told him, giving him a glare. Connor stepped backwards from her slightly, not forgetting she'd recently been under the spell of evil.

"I take it all is how it's supposed to be between you two?" Rocky asked walking closer, Katie's arms wrapped around his neck until he reached the bed. She then reached out to Tommy, opening and closing her small hands in a 'give me' motion. Tommy let go of Kim's hand and took the small girl from Rocky, sitting himself on the edge of the stretcher, and propping Katie on his lamp, her back nestled against his chest. He nodded in response to his friend's question.

"It's about time," Adam laughed at them.

"Shut up," Tommy told him, a grin on his face.

"Bad word Uncky Ranger," Katie scolded him, turning her head so she could see him and scrunching up her face, she wagged her tiny finger at him.

"But Kira said it first," Tommy argued with the toddler. Katie didn't change her expression, and Tommy just sighed. "Sorry Katie," he apologized to the girl, who nodded and nestled back against him. Everyone laughed at him, including Kimberly. "How'd you all know to come down here anyway?" Tommy asked them, his eyes falling on Haley, and then searching the room for some hidden surveillance cameras.

"Oh right," Haley retorted, realizing what he was doing. "Cause we're that desperate to spy on you."

"You might not be," Tommy told her, "but them," he stated, indicated the four individuals besides Kimberly and himself who had made up his second ranger team, "I wouldn't put it past."

"I'm hurt," Aisha told him, bringing her hand to her chest in mock injury.

"But it is true," Kimberly laughed slightly, and Aisha beamed at her and nodded.

"Of course it is," she replied, "but I swear, it's a lot more innocent than that."

"Oh really," Tommy stated, raising an eyebrow.

"Katie wanted to see her 'Uncky Ranger'," Trent explained, "so Kira came was going to come down and switch with you for a few minutes to get her to stop crying. She heard you two talking and we figured that meant Kim was awake," Trent told him with a grin. "We," he stated, indicating his three other teammates, "did not expect a PG-13 scene."

"I'm pretty sure that was only PG rated," Tanya laughed, and Tommy blushed red. "Now, if you don't mind," she stated, directly at Tommy, walking towards him, and handing him Luke before he could protest, so that Tommy now had a small child in each of his hands and was frantically trying to figure out how to balance them. "There are other people who would like to say hello to Kimberly," she finished, shooing him out of the way. Tommy moved, but stared at her as if he couldn't believe what had just happened. He watched as he was pushed further and further from Kim's stretcher as each of the other rangers went up to hug her and make sure she was ok. Realizing it would be a while before he was allowed back in, he retreated to the sofas, where Haley had perched herself on the arm rest of the sofa. She offered her hands out to take Luke, and Tommy happily obliged, falling into the seat next to her with Katie babbling happily on his lap.

"You sure about this?" Haley asked Tommy after a few moments watching the group of rangers. She caught the look in his eyes every time he caught of glimpse of Kimberly between everyone moving around her. At one point, no one was between their lines of sight and both caught each other's eyes and smiled. Haley realized she'd never seen him smile that purely and genuinely before.

"One hundred percent," Tommy replied to her, when his line of vision was cut off again. He turned to look at his best friend. "You going to be ok with it?"

"If you're happy," Haley told him simply, "who am I to stand in the way," she laughed.

"I'm glad," Tommy told her. "Thanks for sticking by me. I'm surprised she forgave me for everything so easily."

"She might have," Haley told him, with a sly grin. "But you're going to be punished for being a colossal jack," she paused glancing at Katie, "butt to the kids," she told him.

"It was all the rock's fault," Tommy protested.

"Sure," Haley laughed at him. "Blame the inanimate object."

"But Haley," he pouted. Haley just shook her head and laughed at him more.

* * *

Tommy had called out of work sick the next day and no one had argued with him, except the four teenagers who'd wanted to skip class as well. The adults had all put their feet down, insisting that the dino thunder teens go to school. The compromise was that no one would leave Reefside until the teenagers were out of school for the day and had the opportunity to say goodbye. Over the course of the day, everyone had filled everyone else in on the things that had happened that they didn't know. Adam had come clean to Tommy about their experiments with the rocks, and going evil so that Billy could find the cure. Tommy was less than thrilled to hear about it, but after Aisha confirmed that she'd left him with some lasting black and blues, he let it go. Billy explained that despite not destroying the rock that had turned Kim, Connor's battlizer had purified every part of her, which also explained why she hadn't been killed by the process. Tommy and Kim had filled them in on the fact that Kim had removed the rock from skin contact when no one else could, and remained under the influence of evil without it. Billy had shrugged, and said her contact with Maligore years before could be responsible, but he couldn't be sure without tests. Tommy and Haley had then explained everything from the island exploding, Tommy being encased in Amber, stuck in morph, trapped invisible, and finally landing in a coma and fighting his past ranger powers to get out. Kimberly had called the hotel and explained that she had a slight accident and would be sending a friend to check out for her. After she and Haley talked, coming to an agreement and forgiving one another for things said and done, Haley had happily obliged and checked out for Kimberly, who had decided she would stay with Tommy until her leg had healed. They'd figure out what to do after that. Aisha, Rocky, Tanya, and Adam checked out with Haley, and then had returned to Tommy's house for the rest of the afternoon until the kids got there. They had lives and jobs that they needed to get back to. Billy had contacted Cestro on Friday, so the transport had already left to come get him, and was scheduled to leave whenever he was ready that afternoon. Rocky had already offered to drop him off about a mile from landing site. So by four o'clock that afternoon, everyone was gathered in front of Tommy's house.

"Do you really have to go?" Kira whined slightly as she bounced Katie on her hip and Rocky loaded Billy's duffle bag into the trunk of his van. He shut it and walked over to where everyone was standing. Haley stood on the front porch, leaning against a support column. Tommy stood beside her on the other side of the column, while Kim sat on the bench a couple feet behind him. Kira, Connor, Ethan, and Trent stood in the gravel drive way across from Billy, Aisha, Tanya, and Adam. Luke was already in his car seat, sound asleep in the car.

"It's not like it's goodbye forever," Adam laughed at her. "We're only seven hours away this time," he told her, "not nine years."

"We know, but," Connor began to protest.

"Remember what I told you last time?" Aisha asked him, stepping up and kissing the teenager on the cheek. "We'll see you soon," she told him.

"We've already begun to discuss another reunion. One with hopefully less psychotic ranger stuff to deal with," Rocky told them, moving to shake hands with the teenagers. Each of the rangers who were departing made their rounds, hugging or shaking hands with the four teenagers, Haley, and Kimberly.

"You had better come home and visit more often," Kimberly told Billy, wrapping her arms around him tightly.

"I will," he assured her. "I'm thinking it might be time for a permanent relocation anyway," he added.

"What about Cestria?" Kimberly asked. They communicated, but neither had really ever asked the other about their personal lives. Billy shrugged.

"Long story," he told her.

"I expect an email," she commanded, kissing his cheek. Billy smiled and nodded.

"I'll be checking in on you soon. I want to make sure you're healing right and there's no lasting side effects."

"Aye Aye captain," she laughed, giving him a mock salute.

Tommy had stepped off the porch and taken Katie from Kira, and carried her over to her seat in the van. He crawled inside, and placed the toddler in her car seat, strapping her in. "Now, you be good for your mommy," Tommy told her, tickling her sides. Katie giggled in response. "But you can do whatever you want to do your daddy, ok?"

"K Uncky Ranger!" Katie replied in a sing song voice. Tommy laughed.

"Bye Katie, I love you," he told her, leaning forward and kissing her forehead. Katie giggled.

"Wuv ooo too Uncky Ranger," she replied as he smiled and drifted back out the side door.

"I hope you weren't corrupting my daughter," Rocky told him, opening his arms for a hug from Tommy. Tommy laughed and closed the hug, both men patting the other on the back.

"Who me? Never," Tommy retorted.

"Uh huh," Rocky laughed. "Take care of her," he told him.

"I will," Tommy replied and Rocky nodded. "Have a safe trip home."

"See you soon," Rocky replied, walking around the car and climbing into the driver's seat.

"It was great to see you Tommy," Tanya told him, as she came up next to him and hugged him tight around the middle. Tommy hugged her back, resting his chin on her head.

"You too Tanya," he told her. "Keep me up to date on the wedding planning? I don't want to miss it."

"You got it," Tanya laughed, releasing him and climbing into the middle seats of the van.

"I'm glad my kids get to have you in their lives," Aisha told him, as it was her turn to say goodbye next. Tommy just smiled in response. "And I'm glad you're back in our lives. I will kill you if you ever try to pull away again."

"I know," Tommy laughed, letting her kiss his cheek. He hugged her tight and kissed the top of her head. "See you soon," he told her, and she nodded, climbing into the very back.

"Be ready for another sparring round next time I see you," Adam stated as both of them grabbed each other's hands and gave one another a one armed hug.

"I'll be ready next time. I won't make it so easy for you."

"You wish," Adam laughed. "You and Kim going to be ok?"

"More than ok, I think," Tommy stated, nodding. "Tanya forgive you for the stunt you pulled?"

"Surprisingly, yes," he laughed.

"You forgive yourself?"

"Working on it," Adam replied and Tommy nodded. "How about you?"

"Working on it," Tommy mirrored and Adam nodded his understanding.

"And Connor?" he asked.

"I think he's working on it too," Tommy laughed and Adam grinned back in response.

"I meant what I said about the texting once a week," Adam told Tommy.

"It'll be more often than that," Tommy confirmed with a nod.

"Good," Adam told him, and the two hugged once more before Adam climbed into the passenger seat.

"You have a safe trip," Tommy told Billy as the two oldest friends hugged one another. "I expect a video call the moment you land on Aquitar."

"Can I at least get to my home first?" Billy asked him, and Tommy sighed.

"I suppose that's acceptable," he laughed, and Billy joined in. "Thanks for coming," he told his friend. "I heard what you told Kim."

"Yeah," Billy stated, with a nod. "I'll be back soon. I promise. Just have to handle some things and figure out the logistics."

"Haley and I will help in any way that we can," Tommy told him. "Now go," he stated. "Or the transport will leave without you."

"Wouldn't want that, would we?" Billy laughed, but he did as Tommy said, climbing in beside Tanya and shutting the side door. Tommy stepped back towards the teenagers and everyone waved as Rocky put the van in drive and pulled out of the drive way. The dino thunder team watched until the van was out of sight before Tommy turned around, sighing and began to walk back to the house, the teenagers on his heels.

"So when's the next reunion Dr. O?" Connor asked immediately. Tommy laughed, not surprised by his line of questioning.

"We were talking about July, but I'm pushing for September."

"But in September, we might all be away at college," Ethan protested, his face falling slightly.

"Exactly my point," Tommy laughed. When he saw the death glare looks the four teenagers wore, he just laughed harder.

"You're cruel," Kimberly told him, as he helped her to her feet, supporting her as he handed her the crutches he'd picked up at the store for her to use. He leaned down to kiss her lightly, and then pulled away.

"I know," he replied, turning back to look at the four teenagers who were still glaring at him in the drive way. "Oh come on, you know I was joking," he told them. "Either come in the house, or get home and get started on your homework. I know I gave you some," he laughed at them. All four shook their heads, laughing slightly and ran into the house ahead of him and Kimberly. Haley looked at Tommy, shook her head, and laughed as well, before following the teenagers inside. "So, you ready for some peace and quiet?" he asked Kim at his side.

"It gets quiet around here?" Kimberly asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah," Tommy stated, rubbing the back of his head. "Maybe you recuperating here isn't the best idea in the world. Maybe you should go home."

"Don't even think about it Dr. Oliver," Kimberly told him. "I'm not leaving you ever again."

"I was hoping you'd say that," he replied, with a grin, kissing her again before they both went inside his house.

* * *

That wraps up the story you guys. I really hope you all enjoyed – Even if you've never reviewed before and have just been silently reading.

I'd love to hear any final thoughts and words, and I'd love to reach 300 Reviews. Thanks so much for the support over the last two months or so. It's been so much fun writing this.

I've already begun the process of the sequel, but it's not writing itself as easily, so I'm not sure when I'll post it. I was hoping this weekend, but I'll have to see how the writing goes. I've come to the realization that I suck at titles and summaries. I may even go back and edit the title and summary of this fic (not sure yet about that). So I won't give you a title or summary of the sequel, but to tide you over until I feel like I've got a good bit into it, here are a few dialogue excerpts from Chapter 1:

1\. "She just doesn't want you to be late to your own reunion," she laughed at him.

"How would that even be remotely possible? Everyone's meeting here at the house," he retorted putting the photograph back down on his desk.

"For most people," she explained, "it wouldn't be. You're not most people." 

2\. "Wishful thinking, huh guys?" Connor asked the group, and all four of them nodded as Ethan folded his hand held game away.

"Maybe not entirely," Ethan stated. "I definitely don't miss sore muscles or bruises I can't explain."

"Or having to run off and come up with random explanations," Trent put it.

"Or fiery explosions and being thrown thru the air," Kira added, with a grin. 

3\. "Damn it! Connor!" she heard Tommy's voice in the background.

"What? It wasn't me this time!" Connor's voice replied, though it was apparent the teenage boy was struggling to produce words through his laughter. 

4\. "Who are you? Where am I?" he asked, scrambling out of the chair, and backing away from the four teenagers who all exchanged looks with one another.

"Shit," Connor stated simply.


End file.
